


Open Arms

by JulietteLyst



Category: X-Men (Comicverse)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Dead Wolverine, F/M, Heartache, Heartbreak, Hurt/Comfort, Lost Love, Mistakes, Other, Personal Demons, Self Confidence Issues, Storm Needs A Hug, Wolverine - Freeform, injuries, laura kinney - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-10
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:01:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 45,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25820254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JulietteLyst/pseuds/JulietteLyst
Summary: "How could you leave…me?" Her tone was accusatory, as if that had truly been his intent. Her features tightened, her eyes beginning to grow moist. A bolt of lightning streaked across the sky then. "You told me you'd always be there!" Life was cruel like that. Here today, gone tomorrow.
Relationships: Logan/Ororo Munroe
Comments: 7
Kudos: 25





	1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own X-Men, nor am I affiliated with any of their brands…partners or otherwise. I just really like a few of the comics I’ve read. I figured I’d give writing a fanfic a go, as I’ve read so many of them. Please enjoy!

Open Arms

By Juliette Lyst

Chapter 1

Four months…It had been four months now. How could she ever forget the days now? She could still remember everything that had happened… as if it was only yesterday. The breadth of her confusion over his radio silence… For days she hadn’t been able to reach him through any of her old channels. She’d been so afraid. Life was so precarious in their line and work and with all that happened – she would have preferred him to stay in one place. Then came the moment when all of the had learned of his fate. When they had learned about what still remained of him. Nibbling on her bottom lip, the tall, white-haired leader of the X-Men sat quietly in her little patch of earth. Her knees were propped up to her chin. Wrapping her arms around them, she sighed. The quiet…was very welcome. She’d gone out early, before the sun was even a promise in the sky. A faint breeze kicked up, a tear trickling down her cheek before she irritably wiped it away. The sniffle was unmistakable. A bird sang overhead as it went about its day, drawing her gaze heavenwards. Her head tilted a bit on her shoulders as her thoughts drifted.

Flight, in her early days with the team, had always been a way for her to cross distances to fight foes or save allies. Before them and when she was a girl, she’d called the sky her home. She’d been placed on a pedestal for many years…and at one point she had believed what others had told her. Today though, the true purpose of choosing flight over traveling on land was obvious. She was untraceable -- unlike by car and the current isolation from other people made her feel better. It was far better to be out here, amongst nature than indoors and having to deal with continued looks of pity from her teammates and students. The nature of her relationship with him had not exactly been a secret, though they had not forthright said anything to the team. As if any of it even mattered now. Wasn’t there something to be said about doing far too little…and too late?

Uncurling herself, she stared at her hands. Those same hands had dealt with both life and death over the course of her life. Trying to understand herself in her younger years had resulted in her descent into a darkness that she was at risk to revisit. For a time, everything had been better, hadn’t it? Just how much more would she have to endure? Biting into her bottom lip hard…almost with enough force to draw blood, she crossed her jean clad legs, resting her hands on her knees. The baggy and sleeveless white t-shirt she wore was stained with sweat. Both of her feet were bare though and she calmed minutely with the sensation of grass tickling her toes. She swallowed once and then again, struggling to hold the bubbling emotions at bay. It was not easy. When would it ever be?

It was so hard to fight the urge to cry. She wanted to rage even more than she had, to let out all of the pent-up frustration and anger that she felt inside. She was furious with him…angry with herself. If she was anyone else, she could be free to do as such. There was danger involved in fully unleashing her sorrow, the core of her power based in the primordial force of the planet. Her powers were affected heavily by her emotions and intense emotions were very dangerous. _I have to keep it together…_ She reminded herself, feeling her control quiver a smidgeon. Hearing a peal of thunder overhead, she lowered her eyes and drew in a measured breath. The need to maintain balance had far more to do with safety of the surrounding terrain than any worry of what she’d do to herself. Sniffing again despite herself, a frown marred her features further as she noticed clouds beginning to crowd together overhead. “How could you do this?” She asked to the open sky after an extended period of silence. If she was honest with herself, holding back her grief was akin to rains overloading a dam. Eventually, something had to give. The grass under her feet tickled more as she lightly stretched her toes. “How could you think to leave us like this?” The wind began to pick up a little then as her fragile control began to slip. The storm inside her heart stirred, churning and aching to be free. In response to the darkening skies, a different bird above cried out. So, it seemed that the animals of the sky felt her pain as well. It was either that or they all feared the tempest she was surely about to unleash. Hearing another rumble of thunder, she rose to her feet. Her movement was slow…deliberate. “Was it really so bad?” The clouds were growing darker as she continued her monologue, blotting out the sun. With the light also went her good mood, what little shreds still clung to her.

“How could you leave…me?” Her tone was accusatory, as if that had truly been his intent. Her features tightened, her eyes beginning to grow moist. A bolt of lightning streaked across the sky then. The weather, as always, was affected by her despair. Her mind was racing still as she thought of what the team had found. She remembered the glimpse she’d caught of his face, so still…frozen in time forever. Throwing her head back and opening her arms wide, she bared her teeth. “You told me you’d always be there!” She cried out, her voice cracking. “You said you wanted to set down roots!” And he had, while they’d both been in one of his favorite haunts. He’d been so hurt, so depressed about losing one of his more vital abilities. His healing factor was the only thing that had kept him alive for so long. Though she had not realized it at the time, his loss was worse than losing a limb. She was certain that he would have preferred to lose a leg or arm -- than his healing factor. Back then, she’d consoled him and enticed him into her bed. To what end though? Now that she had time to look back over all that had happened over the years, she realized where she’d made a mistake. She shouldn’t have settled for being a casual occasional fling. Was that why she was so bothered by what had happened? The painful loss of potential chances? Had he not died; would things not continue as they always had?

The man had even gotten married while they were on one of their extended ‘breaks’. That hadn’t stopped her from seeking him out though. Her gaze lowered to her feet, though it was not from some newfound interest in the ground. _I am so very stupid…_ Lips downturned, she abruptly lifted her head to the sky. The white locks of her Mohawk flew back from both the wind and her actions.

Her toes curled and uncurled in the grass. _Give me what I will._ The clouds darkened further, nature heeding her call and soon a light rain began to come down. Her eyes glowed white as she fully activated her powers. The thunderstorm increased in intensity, the light misting beginning to come down in sheets. It was ironic in a way. She had what she wanted for so long…that she had forgotten what it felt like to go without. Half closing her eyes, she slowly rolled her head on her shoulders. Wrapping her arms around herself, her features fixed in an expression of displeasure, she let the first sobs escape. One tear had led to another until she had allowed herself to double over and curl up on the ground. Her body shook from the force of her pain. It stung so…pained her so deeply, that what had been emotional only suddenly felt physical. As if her very heart was being squeezed inside of her breast.

One hand balled up into a fist and she angrily pounded the ground. It didn’t make any sense. None at all.

As she remained there, allowing herself to be rained on, she sniffled. Why had he had to go and make her feel so weak? She felt as if she were one with the world itself some days, had been treated as a goddess in her youth. Becoming a pickpocket had been the best thing that had ever happened in hindsight. It had led to her meeting Xavier and ascending to the position she was in now. In spite of all that, no one had treated her as _he_ had. He had seen past the façade, past all of the barriers she erected around herself. Barriers were not there to be met or forced through. She had thought it best for her to remain aloof from everyone else, a long-ingrained fear of what could happen if she let herself feel too much planted deeply in her heart. He had seen that barrier and stepped right through it, as if it had not existed. He was so _very_ broken at one point, with parts of his memory missing, having lived through so many different times and in different countries.

It was a wonder that either of them had felt a desire to seek out each other. They seemed, to all outward appearances, to be completely polar opposites. Not many knew of her history with the Morlocks. Fewer still knew of how she gained control of them, how the first kill made the rest seem easier. Killing someone not in defense was strongly at war with who she was in general. He understood though. The sheer body count the man had racked up over the years had reached a point that she doubted even he remembered all of the faces. In her case though, she remembered every face, every single one. She’d gone through a dramatic change after her time with the Morlocks, adopting the hairstyle she was now once more sporting.

Maybe the growth of her darker impulses had drawn him. There was something about the feral man that had certainly drawn her to him. He was very dangerous, his physical capabilities making it potentially deadly for anyone to cross him in combat. He was fast, had a nearly unbreakable skeleton and went through berserker rages that made him almost unstoppable in a fight. Not that any of that had helped him in the end. If anything, his own body had begun to rebel against him…Against the abuse he’d subjected it to over the years. With no healing factor, he was killing himself just living. Sniffling, she rubbed her eyes and slowly rolled over onto her back. Watching the rain continue to pour down, she raised up onto her shoulders and crossed her feet at the ankles. She missed him. _That could be putting it mildly._ Her bottom lip quivered as she heard a responding boom of thunder. The rain had let up for a moment, but returned full force. _I love you._ Shivering then but not from the cold, she uneasily pushed herself up to her feet. _If only I had been there._ Instinctively, she knew that her presence would have made the situation worse for him. Flicking pale hair out of her eyes, she sucked in a deep breath and began walking home. It was in her abilities to merely take to the air again, but she wanted to feel every step. She had hiked up to that spot in Mount Marcy…it was the least that she could return the same way.

_Some Time Later_

When she had finally re-entered the school, she’d been drenched through and through. Though it was something she’d done time and time again -- once those doors opened, the current leader of the X-Men stood in place. No longer was she just a wounded woman, but a person bearing a responsibility on shoulders quivering under the strain. Blinking blearily, she stared in the open doorway. Some of her teammates were there, and everyone had obviously been involved in one discussion or another. Yet, when the front doors flew open, all speaking drew to a halt. They looked at her, muddied from walking outside. Her pants were ripped from snags in thorny bushes she’d encountered. Her proud shoulders were hunched low, however her eyes continued to glow. That of course explained why the sky, which was so bright and clear less than a half hour earlier, was now overcast. A moment -- two -- and her longtime friend was coming to help her. Out of all of them, Katherine also known as ‘Kitty’, stepped in to help. “Kitten…” She spoke, startling herself speechless for a moment. Her voice was rough, raw from crying and screaming. The memory of why made her eyes water again. “I don’t… I don’t understand.” Bobbing her head in agreement, Kitty Pryde wrapped her friend’s left arm around her shoulders. Carefully, she steadied the woman with an arm around her waist. “How is it possible?” Was the emotional plea. Knowing that a response would offer no help, Kitty sighed and carefully steered their only standing leader through the doors.

“You need to rest, Ororo.” Ororo’s head dropped and she muttered something noncommittal. Hearing the doors closed behind her, she didn’t respond to much. Having drained herself extremely in the mountains, she had literally dragged herself back to the mansion by sheer will alone. To their credit, no one commented on her state of dress or the fact that she was trailing muddy footprints through the pristine hallway. Knowing the difficulty with dealing with so many different personalities, she was grateful that her companions had put aside their usual attitudes. Though she was uncertain if it was for her sake or not. “I’ll walk with you, hmm?” Her grip on Ororo was more for support, than comfort…a fact that was not lost on anyone.

The other team members made plenty of room for them to pass as they headed down the hall. They’d been discussing what kind of memorial to have for the man, not wanting to lament his loss but celebrate his life. Thankfully, their leader had not heard any of it. Since she had also come up in conversation not long before her unexpected arrival, seeing her had made all of them feel self-conscious. They maintained their silence as Kitty lead their leader to the staircase. More than a few eyes were watching as well. The ascent up the stairs was slower than what Kitty was used to, but she noticed a bit worriedly that she was doing most of the work, pulling Ororo up the staircase. _Just what happened out there?_ This was a question that Katherine doubted she’d ever have answered. She also respected Ororo far too much to ask her.

“My room is not this way, Kitten.” Ororo gently reminded the younger woman as they continued to walk. Though, she went along and did not stop the two of them in their tracks. Ororo knew that she could have pulled away from her friend Kitty, though she would have been horribly off balance then. Kitty knew this as well, but was hoping that she wouldn’t face much resistance today. Fortunately Ororo didn’t seem to be putting up much of a fight. Also, she could see those lovely baby blue eyes again, which meant her friend wasn’t overtaxing herself with her powers. It was scary to think that Ororo had walked the entire way from…wherever she’d headed to earlier in the day…dragging a thunderstorm along for the trip. Just how had she made it back without anyone noticing?

“I know.” Kitty finally acknowledged. “You’re sharing with me today.” Kitty glanced over at Ororo, relieved a bit to see that there was no outward signs of resistance still. Her old friend seemed at ease with the suggestion for the most part. “I need to make sure you’re sleeping.” She added as an afterthought. Ororo snorted at this and thought of pulling away then. Her head dipped a little as she weighed her options. Was it so wrong for her to accept the offer? Ororo Munroe never had a problem taking care of others. It was disorienting to be on the receiving end.

“Honestly Kitten--” Before the white-haired woman could make even a halfhearted protest, Kitty was cutting her off, actually putting her hand over Ororo’s mouth. The younger woman had spent some time now observing Ororo. At first, she’d thought that their leader was merely upset over the loss of Logan, the Wolverine. He was an irreplaceable part of the team, easily able to shoulder the burden of command with Storm. Now, Kitty knew it was something else that chipped away at her friend. It seemed to _hurt_ the woman more than the loss of a friend should have. Peering more closely at the shirt that Ororo wore, Kitten felt understanding begin to bloom. Now she understood why that particular garment looked big on Ororo. Her heart was broken -- had been the entire time -- and in front of all of them. No one had wanted to accept it, not a single soul there verbalized what they knew. The sudden knowledge that Ororo bore the burden of her grief alone was hurting Kitty to see it. Especially because she feared there was nothing she could do to stop it.

“No, I’m serious.” Frowning a bit then, Kitty managed to lean her friend against the doorway as she unlocked her door and then almost stumbled once she took up Ororo’s weight again. So, it seemed the weather witch was helping even less now. Maybe getting the older woman to actually lay down and rest wouldn’t be so hard. “I’m worried about you. You don’t sleep. You barely eat.” Kitty wasn’t the only person who had noticed how Ororo half-heartedly pushed her food around on her plate before abandoning the table. Once would be understandable, but Kitty doubted Ororo was even eating when she wasn’t inside the mansion. Half closing her eyes as she managed to maneuver both of them through the door, Kitty was filled with dismay then. The hand that she’d pressed to Ororo’s right side easily felt a bony protrusion, the underside of a rib. “It’s not good for you to beat yourself up like this.” _No matter what the cause._ Settling Ororo down at the foot of the bed, Kitty glared sternly at the older mutant. “You need sleep. You have to eat.” In retort, Ororo just locked eyes with her friend, allowing an expression of burgeoning petulance to blossom. Her outstretched hands on the end of the bed shifted – her fingers tenting and letting slip the old stubborn Storm that lay just under the surface.

_This is insane!_ Kitty felt as if she was chastising a child, instead of an adult woman. The brunette wanted to rip out her own hair in frustration.

“It’s not your place to tell me what to do, Kitten.” Ororo almost hissed in reply. Folding her arms and maintaining eye-contact for an uncomfortably long moment, Ororo’s features hardened. Looking away once she was sure her message had been delivered, she was unable to prevent the quiver in her jaw, her teeth grinding just a little. She didn’t appreciate being told what to do in the least. The powerhouse mutant was…pleased to hear that someone worried about her. However, giving orders was what she did. Taking orders was not on her list of things to do at present. Under normal circumstances, Ororo would have easily conceded that she did indeed need rest. If the situation was different, there would be no question of that. These were different times though, and she felt she deserved to have the right to grieve in the way she saw fit. She was so worn down though, sleeping in stints of two hours or less, and dark circles were beginning to form around her eyes. She didn’t want to admit that the reason she lacked sleep was due to nightmares returning. Facing the withering stare of her younger friend, Ororo looked away. Only to see her beloved ‘Kitten’ lean over to catch her eye again.

“Call it what you want.” Kitty managed, after regaining her composure. It didn’t help that Ororo already had frosty stare to start off with. Nothing like some of that old aggression to make her look even more terrifying that normal, right? “You are supposed to be here to lead us all. You’re all we have left really.” Now, the dark-haired young woman frowned, a bit of distress in her voice. “What is it going to look like if we lose you too?” The words were out before she could think about the repercussions of it. Ororo worked her jaw lightly, as if the words had been a physical blow. Had it been, the Stormrider knew her ears would be ringing. A thick, cloying stillness permeated the bedroom after the implications of Kitty’s words began to sink in. It was true that with the Wolverine gone, only Storm remained to lead them and if she fell, the X-Men would be officially open season to any of the various enemies they had. There was no mention made of the fact that Scott could have easily taken over the reins of leadership again. It wasn’t Cyclops that was the most powerful of them all. It was not Cyclops who could turn the tide in their favor. The knowledge did nothing more than irritate the white-haired woman further. She didn’t want to be the glue that held the team together. Not without him… Unnerved by the silence and sudden despondence in her leader’s face, Kitty knelt and lightly grasped Ororo’s shoulders. “Look… I...” Sighing, she shook her head, her curls partially obscuring her eyes. “I’m sorry. That was wrong of me to say. I didn’t think before I spoke… Foot in mouth syndrome.” Ororo merely glanced at her sideways, her eyes unblinking. Despite how drenched she was, the Mohawk she continued to sport made her look angrier than she likely was. At least Kitty hoped so…or otherwise things were going downhill and Kitty’s effort was about to blow up spectacularly in her face.

“No… No, you have a point, Katherine.” Blinking as Ororo used her actual first name, Kitty stiffened a little. ‘Kitten’ was a term of affection, she knew. Ororo had so rarely called her by her actual name that it the name sounded foreign coming out of her mouth. Biting her bottom lip and feeling reprimanded even though she hadn’t been, Kitty lowered her eyes and rose to her feet. Deciding that it was better to be safe than sorry, she made no sound and quietly backed out of the room, closing the door behind her. This time, when her teeth sunk into the tender flesh of her bottom lip…the skin split open. A small trickle of blood ran down her chin…going wholly ignored. It was tempting, she knew…just to sink down and rest. Her body demanded--needed sleep. She needed to eat. The smell she could pick up from herself told her that she needed to shower too. The rebellious part of her huffed at the idea of anyone ordering her to do anything she didn’t want to. “But you are wrong…” Ororo murmured finally, to the silent room. She thought of all of the pressure that normally settled squarely on her shoulders. “I don’t want to be that…not anymore.” It was painful when they’d lost Xavier. Dark brows pinching at the corners, Ororo rose to her feet. It had hurt when they’d slowly but gradually lost friends over the years. The hardest had been Xavier…or so she had thought at the time. Losing James though… Losing Wolverine. That was like a knife to the gut.

There were physical reminders of both men all around her. The biggest was the mansion. But the smallest… was one of Wolverine’s cigars. Smoking had been a disgusting and filthy habit he’d had. Countless times, Xavier had expressed concern over the drinking and smoking binges that Wolverine went on. That healing factor though… It had saved him countless times…in more way than one. When he’d lost it, it was like he’d lost a central part of himself. At the time, it hadn’t mattered to her one bit. He was still the same man regardless. Though…after learning more about him, she’d come to realize the significance. He was an old man, old by many standards and should have died long ago. If not for the factor, neither of them would have met. Making a decision, Ororo rose to her feet and strolled over to the lone window in Kitty’s room. Glancing outside, she noted the somewhat clear sky. Pushing the window open, she let in the breeze and sighed, a frown forming. There were things that needed to be attended to, with the school and with her teammates. Arrangements had to be made for dealing with the Brotherhood, there was the matter of the government wanting them to testify about illegal experiments that were being performed on ‘their kind’. As if Ororo had anything to do with people taking advantage of people like her.

_What exactly do they want? I wonder..._ She mused. Part of her found amusement in the fact that whenever an atrocity was committed against mutant kind, that the government suddenly felt the need to ‘step in’ and inquire as to why it was happening. It was not the same, she’d noticed, when they themselves were the ones causing harm. The double standards made her feel genuinely sick. Lightly sucking on her teeth, she exhaled with disgust. _A pity…_ Things could easily be peaceful between humans and mutants, but that would require work and time. Time was not a luxury that any of them seemed to have anymore. _James… Logan… Wolverine. Just which one of you did I know?_ It was a question that would haunt her until the end of her days.

AN: How’d you like it? Please feel free to give me constructive criticism. Have a good day!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own the X-Men. It’d be nice…but no. This is just my take on them.

Open Arms

By Juliette Lyst.

Chapter 2

Sympathy cards had been flooding in since news of James’ loss was known. There had been so many cards and gifts sent that Ororo had designated his old room to hold them. She knew what she was supposed to do logically. In times of trouble, she was supposed to be the supporting pillar of the entire team. As leader, she was meant to stand stoically as everyone else fell apart and somehow managed to keep everything together. In a perfect world, that was what she would do. _In a perfect world…_ She thought a bit angrily. _In a perfect world, there would be no conflict, no killing. There would be no need for war or hostilities of any sort. Men and women would be at peace with one another as would human and mutant._ Snorting a bit at that, the Windrider realized that ignoring loss would never be something she was capable of, even in a perfect world. Removing the communicator that she always wore, she rested it on the windowsill. Sucking in a breath and idly licking the blood from the tear she’d made with her teeth on her bottom lip, she summoned her powers to the fore and lifted herself out of the window. This time, the powerhouse mutant wasn’t busy channeling a powerful thunderstorm so the flight was far less bumpy for her.

She was nevertheless a woman running on very little energy. Everyone other than her seemed to understand that. Everything and everyone had a breaking point. It was only a matter of time before she found her own.

*

“I’m worried about her.” Kitty stated after running into one of her teammates in the hallway. Instead of immediately responding, Marie held a gloved finger to her lips and pointed to the stairway. Her unspoken words and actions were easy to understand. It would do more harm than good to stand there talking about Ororo in the hall, as if the older woman wouldn’t be able to hear them out there. Both of them were going to leave their friend be to get some much-needed rest. Once they were half way down the stairs though, Kitty couldn’t keep silent. “I messed up…badly. I’m not sure what to do.” Hands lightly balled up into fists, she cleared her throat lightly and waved a greeting to one of the students as he passed, almost at a sprint. The final classes for the day were beginning. Lightly shrugging her shoulders, Marie inhaled quietly to gather her thoughts. She never was very good at sensitive chats and this was certainly gearing up to be one. She wondered if she should have kept walking or avoided Kitty outright.

Her particular power granted her abilities that combined to make her especially antisocial. She often spent time in quiet contemplation, often trying to keep her own individuality intact. It was wonderful to be able to absorb the abilities of others – however those abilities came with memories…lives that were completely different than her. Sometimes, she could recall a few very blurry memories she had of her parents. Part of her wondered sometime exactly which memory of her childhood was actually her own. Countless minds in her head and none of them seemed adept at what she was about to attempt.

“Ah’m not sure what ya want meh to tell you.” Folding her arms as she walked, Marie sighed audibly. Frowning, she looked to the left as the two women finished descending the stairs. They’d set up a table at one point to hold all of the flowers sent to them by friends and allies once Logan’s room ran out of space. Now the table had been overrun and various potted plants were all over the place. Some of the poor plants were starting to turn brown, pushing some of the team to take up gardening to keep the plants alive. “Ah’m not known for havin’ the best answer to anythin’.” If anything, Marie was great at doing the exact opposite and fouling up things horribly. She could understand the sentiments despite that. She’d been hurt too when news of Wolverine’s demise had reached her. Unlike Kitty or their leader though, Rogue was used to leaving when the moment permitted to settle herself. She’d run when her first boyfriend had ended up in a coma, indeed had run after the second person she’d hurt. This particular loss did not seem like one she’d be able to run far enough away from though. She and Wolverine had been the same in that regard. Both of them fled when situations got too sticky. “Ah’m not known for much ‘side from being a bad touch.” Though she had control over her abilities now, she still worried about potential flare-ups or misfires. Going from years of restricted contact to being able to hug and kiss others was still very alien and unsettling for her. The students avoiding her prevented her from forgetting her past.

“You’re more than that and you know it.” Turning a little, Kitty glanced towards the upper floor. “She’s an adult, who doesn’t want anyone babying her.” Kitty’s shoulders slumped. “Who am I to tell her what to do anyway? She was so hurt, Marie!” Marie slowly raised her shoulders in an exaggerated shrug. Again, she had no clue what Kitty wanted her to say. “Maybe I should go back. I can fix this. I know I can.” In fact, Kitty moved one foot onto the stairs. Feeling a hand on her shoulder then, she looked over to see Marie shake her head. The curious white lock amid a sea of auburn hair lightly shook as the aptly named ‘Rogue’ made her own decisions about the situation. Kitty running back up there might only make things worse, especially if Ororo had decided to in fact get some rest.

“No, sugah. You need ta let ‘Roro blow off some steam.” She cracked a smile then. “Sleep off some steam really.” Looking to the window and then back to Kitty, her smile widened. “Weather says she’s gettin’ some shut-eye.” The sky no longer appeared downcast, so that was certainly promising.

*

Stop.

Rest…

Take a break. Hadn’t that all been suggestions from well-meaning friends? Yet as she flew amongst the birds, Ororo wasn’t sure. She was beginning to understand how someone could have the need to just ‘go’ and drive to keep going, even though they really shouldn’t. He’d been the same way, prone to taking long trips when he became too agitated over anything really. James had been a veritable whirlwind of energy, always needing to be on the move. He always had to keep his hands occupied and the fact that he knew so much meant that most of the physical repairs, such as tiles, could easily be repaired by him. The downside to his boundless energy was the fact that he often would seek out darker methods to entertaining himself.

Her brows furrowed as she mulled it over. Should she do the same, if only for a little while? Ororo was already in the air and a good distance away from everyone. _What would it be like?_ She wondered. What would it be like to truly be away and literally free of it all? She thought of the few times she’d gone along with James on his motorcycle. He’d told her long ago that he longed for the freedom of the open road, which made him horribly unreliable. He’d also mentioned how he drank and left the seat up. Back then, she’d merely grinned in his face and asked if he was trying to drive her away or draw her closer. Between the two of them, there was almost constant teasing. In the past, it was as if Ororo was pushing herself to the darker side of things when she was around James, drinking and hanging out the local bad boy. She’d not been all innocence and light herself though, which unfortunately was something that many continued to assume about her. At first, she’d reveled in the confusing enigma she had become…but slowly that too had lost its luster. Over time, Ororo had learned that all facets of a person, not just a few select traits…made up the whole.

The whole of her had loved all of him. Many knew him to be roguish and a brute, mindless in battle. That wasn’t all that made up the man. He also was considerate of those who were weak, fiercely defending his family. Pain and regret for what could not have been changed was why he always kept running. His words back there had been a lie. He didn’t want the freedom of the open road – he wanted freedom from confronting all that he’d done over the course of his unusually long life. As a child, he was too small and weak to do anything…he’d not been allowed time to forgive himself. It wasn’t his fault – none of it. Ororo was the only one who’d told him that, was one of the few women close enough to affirm such to him. At the time, he claimed that he believed her. Did he believe in himself? _I’ll never know…_ Her thoughts continued along the same sorrowful path. There was much to be lost out on now.

There were so many responsibilities she’d be abandoning if she tried to run for it. There were the students…she had classes she needed to teach. Thankfully, Kitty had taken over the bulk of her workload until she got out of her…what was the phrase the younger woman had used? _Ah…that’s right. Until I got out of my ‘battle weary fatigue’._ Fatigue had been the word that Kitty had used to describe how badly off Ororo was. There was no mention of her crying fits and how she refused to shower. Various filthy clothes were strewn around her room at present. Some of them were old clothes James had worn. _I miss you so much Logan. You stubborn, stubborn man._ James…Logan…The Wolverine. They were all so different and yet together were all pieces of the same man. Each piece was one she longed to hold again, even for another moment.

She’d been so distracted in her own thoughts, that the rising danger had not garnered her attention until it was almost too late. Ororo blinked a little as she realized that she was suddenly experiencing a sharp descent and for some reason unable to stop, the Stormrider barely had time to scream before her body slammed into the soft earth below. It had been so long since she’d lost control of her ability of fly, that she’d forgotten a little fact of gravity. What went upwards, must surely come back down…and she’d fairly hurtled to the ground. The fear of falling had been as distant from her as it would be for a bird, yet in that moment, her own powers had fled her call and she sunk into blissful unconsciousness shortly after impact.

When her eyes finally opened again, she noticed it was growing dark outside. _Goddess, where am I?_ Sitting up painfully, as she’d grown stiff on the ground, Ororo reached up to her forehead with her right hand to address a growing ache. When she pulled her hand away, she spotted blood. Her clothing was scraped up…scratched and torn from the fall. Her knees were also scraped up, and as she rose to her feet, she had to quickly shift most of her weight to her left leg in response to a pain shooting up her right leg from the pressure. Suddenly off balance, she once again fell to the ground. Almost landing on her face again, Ororo managed to catch herself on her hands and rolled to her back. Sweat broke out on her face then as she lifted her right knee and drew it to her chest. “By the bright lady…” She hissed, feeling pain radiating between her knee and foot. She’d hurt something, she knew. It could have been a fracture or she might have actually broken her leg. It was so painful, Ororo felt sick. Feeling her stomach churn in warning, she knew she needed to move. Whimpering, she turned onto her left side and crept a short distance away.

Retching into the dirt then, she brought up only bile, having not eaten properly or at all in a few days. It didn’t stop the pain then, which now also radiated up her throat and through her sinuses. A bit of stomach acid splashed on the ground as well, but not before burning the back of her sinus cavity. Managing to creep around the stinking pile then, Ororo moved towards a spot where she noticed some twigs and vines. She needed something…anything to help stabilize her leg. Struggling to keep herself centered, she sucked in a few deep breaths. Grasping some of the twigs once she was close enough, she half closed her eyes and grasped the bottom of her shirt. She was unsure if the vines would hold everything. Muttering an apology then to no one in particular, Ororo ripped a fairly decent strip of cloth from the shirt. Using the vines to stabilize the twigs, she then used the cloth to wrap and bind her leg carefully. Head swimming then from all of her activity and pounding from what might possibly be a concussion, the Stormrider dragged her body to a tree and leaned against the trunk. She was hoping to remain awake and perhaps find a way to call her teammates for help. Everything was beginning to grow pixilated in her vision and she began feeling light…as if she wasn’t fully inhabiting her body. Unfortunately, all of the movement and activity involved in reaching the tree only made the disorientation worse and she drifted into blissful oblivion. She didn’t hear the booted feet that crushed fallen leaves underfoot.

Nor did she notice how the owner of those same boots moved over to her, a flashlight flickering to life. Alert green eyes carefully surveyed the area and the flashlight was turned off.

*

“Ah wouldn’t go in there if ah was you.” Marie stated, as both of them again stood in front of Kitty’s door. Brushing off the concern visibly etched on Marie’s face, Kitty shook her head. “Ah’m serious. Let the woman sleep!” Kitty crossed her arms and shook her head again, stubbornly.

“No, it’s late. She needs to eat some dinner.” _She needs to mingle with the rest of us. Instead of being stuck in a perpetual loop of desolaton._ Kitty didn’t mention her true concerns over just how depressed she thought Ororo was. The fact that the woman wasn’t showering was a sign as it was. She had been polite not to mention it to Ororo earlier, but she just knew her bedsheets would be absolutely filthy after the mutant had slept in them. Kitty knew it wasn’t her place to say anything else though, and after her earlier comments to her leader, she was feeling very ashamed. It was not her right to reveal that Ororo was having problems to anyone else, just like it hadn’t been right of her to mention to Wolverine that drinking once his healing factor was gone might prove to be a bad idea. The reminder had only made him angrier and more self-destructive. He’d wanted to die near the end, she was sure. She would never reveal this opinioned belief to anyone else though. It was better for all parties involved if she kept that to herself. About to knock, Kitty paused. Why was she knocking on her own bedroom door? It was _her_ room!

Then again, Ororo could have been in any state when sleeping. Hesitating a moment, Kitty knocked on the door. “I’m about to come in, Ororo!” She waited a little before opening the door, wanting to give her friend time to get dressed – in case she wasn’t. Testing the knob and finding that thankfully Ororo had not locked the door, Kitty pushed open the door and stepped inside. Barely able to see at first, she was confused first when she noticed a breeze blowing in the room until she saw its source. Her window was open. Worried immediately then, she searched the wall blindly and found the light switch, flicking it on. Much to her dismay, she saw what she feared… Her bed was not slept in. Not in the least. As for their leader, Ororo was nowhere to be seen. Save for the brief moment that she’d helped Ororo sit down, she doubted the woman had done much aside from remaining there until she was gone. Kitty wanted to kick herself. She knew…had just _known_ that something like this could have happened. Against her better judgement, she had decided to just give Ororo time.

Concern was written on her features as she left the room. Panic was rising quickly as well. She had no clue how long Ororo had even been gone or what had happened to her. She had assumed that their leader would have been in there still, comfortably resting. Resting was what Ororo was supposed to be doing, not outside getting into who knew what. Standing outside and turned away from the room to offer privacy, Marie was surprised to feel Kitty grab her shoulder and then squeeze. “What’s wro…” Marie felt her voice flee her at the wide-eyed stare she was on the receiving end of. A million scenarios fluttered through her mind at once then, none of them having pleasant endings. Swallowing a bit, she moved to step around Kitty before the young woman’s words paused her in her steps.

“She’s…she’s gone.” Not understanding Kitty even then and praying she was misunderstanding, Marie wriggled loose at last and darted into the bedroom. She saw exactly the same thing that Kitty had. No signs of Ororo and a window that was propped open wide enough for her to escape. Reaching for the communicator around her wrist, she tapped it.

“Storm, it’s meh. Come in, it’s Rogue!” Marie’s hopes were dashed when she heard a responding beeping noise near the window. “We need ta get tha others.” She muttered in shock. It wasn’t like Ororo to up and leave her communicator behind. Then again, Ororo hadn’t been acting all that rational as of late. Grabbing the communication device out of the windowsill, Marie sighed and headed towards the door.

“What did you find?” Kitty called when she saw Marie. Maybe the other woman had noticed something she missed? Swallowing hard, her own eyes now narrowing, Marie frowned as she exited the bedroom.

“We need ta find her.” Seeing Kitty reach for her communicator, Marie shook her head. “No use. Ah found hers in tha window.” She held it up for Kitty to see. There was a chance that someone had come into the compound and kidnapped Ororo, taken advantage of her in a weakened state. How was it possible though with everyone there? She knew their pale-haired leader. The woman would rather kill than be dragged anywhere against her wishes. She had done so in the past to protect herself. A better question then was how did no one notice Ororo leaving? Marie felt a stab of guilt then, because she knew had she let Kitty turn back hours previous…all of this could have been avoided. What happened now was anyone’s guess. _‘Roro, you need ‘ta stay safe…_ Her grip on the communicator tightened in response. She was culpable if something happened to Ororo.

“We need to go.” The words broke Marie out of her stupor. Green eyes rounded on Kitty as the young woman’s hands balled into fists. That said, Kitty resolutely marched towards the stairs. This time of day, a chunk of the team was done with their lesson plans for the day. They were needed for search and rescue. She prayed it was rescue… Katherine Pryde coughed a little as her throat tightened as she considered the alternative. _No… Ororo wouldn’t do that…_ All that she could hope was that she knew her friend and protector well enough to go with that assumption.

“Ah’m with you!” Not bothering too much with the stairs after the first few steps, Marie took to the air. Kitty pursed her lips faintly and hurried to the elevators. Maybe there were people in the Danger Cave practicing late. She didn’t want to risk phasing through the floor to get there, worried about short-circuiting the machinery again. She’d already been scolded countless times by Sarah Vale before the woman’s death about the dangers she posed to the team and the machinery in the building. Kitty knew very well the dangers she posed to machinery and since doing a short stint as a healer in the med lab, she had a newfound respect for Henry and also a good amount of humility. The wait for the elevator was irritating though. Crossing her arms and tapping one foot over and over, Kitty waited for the numbers to rise to her floor. There had been no change or update to their system, and the elevator still moved at the same speed. Usually, it was fast enough for her, but this was an emergency. Weren’t elevators supposed to have some sort of super speed setting? Once the doors open, she barreled inside…sliding a bit on the slick floor and nearly hitting the opposite wall. Regaining her balance, she lumbered forward and slammed the button that would take her to the lower levels.

Rogue, in contrast, headed directly outside the front door. She circled a little, peering around as if she’d see a sign of Ororo anywhere. The wind ruffled her long locks, and she adjusted her trajectory to land near the back of the mansion. A precursory sniff carried over the faint smells of smoke, even as she picked up the sounds of fire burning. Walking a bit further, she noticed flames a distance away from the mansion itself. A few people were outside, enjoying their time by the pool and having a very nice cookout. Though the smells she was able to detect now were pretty delectable, she had other more pressing issues to deal with. “Hey, Miss Marie!” Lifting a brow, Marie turned her attention to the right, watching as one of their younger members grinned, pulling some of the flame from the fire, splitting it into three separate balls and juggling them. Holding back a frown, Marie studied the young woman who was sometimes noted for being more than a little hot-headed. Instead of a verbal response, Marie casually lifted a hand and offered a wave. The young woman smirked, tossing the balls up in the air and catching them with the back of her left hand. Hunching over she let the fire balls roll across her shoulders and off of her right hand, back into the grill.

There had already been more than a few clashes with this hotshot and Bobby, as the two were literally opposites. Fire and Ice did not get along well at all. Though Bobby had seemingly precipitated the hostility by trying to be overly chivalrous, the young woman had agitated things but stating that she wasn’t interested. After calling him a has-been Romeo. Bobby had wanted them to be friends and lacked the interest that the young woman had inferred. He’d been deeply insulted by her taunts. They hadn’t been friends since. There had been extensive damage to the grounds due to fights between the two of them despite the fact that their powers technically cancelled each other out. Other people outside greeted Marie, but she kept her mouth shut. With resolution, she marched towards the lone person watching the grill. She felt so bad coming Piotr about this. After everything that had happened to him and with his family, Marie wondered briefly if she should just sweep the problem under the rug in a metaphorical sense. There was no need to alarm everyone. However, the gentle man had been on very friendly terms with Ororo and viewed her as a sister. Marie understood how deeply the man’s emotions ran. She didn’t want to bring him additional pain by trying to hide things from him. She and Kitty just needed a small group of them to help conduct a search. Thinking about Kitty being along for the trip made her feel uneasy again, remembering how badly the relationship between Kitty and Piotr had ended. Turning around to greet her, a large smile on his face, the giant metal man fell silent at the despondent expression she held. “What is problem?” Lightly gnawing on her bottom lip, Marie shook her head and let out a heavy sigh.

“You might want to take a seat, Sugah…” Reading the confusion on his face, Marie lowered her voice. “We ‘ave a problem. It’s ‘bout Roro, Peter.” Her eyes flickered to the food he was tending to. “Come, sit…” Looking around, Marie called over one of the students to watch the food. Grasping Piotr’s right metal hand in both of her gloved ones, Marie dragged him…or attempted to. A grunt escaped her lips at the resistance. It seemed like the man had gained another hundred pounds before he slowly began to acquiesce to her wishes. _Kitty needs ta do a betta job than ah am._ She was struggling to figure out how to get Piotr out of the stupor he seemed to be slipping into. His mouth had dropped open in helpless bewilderment after she mentioned a problem with Ororo. _Ah shouldn’ta started with that!_

_Downstairs…_

With baited breath, Kitty waited for the doors to open. Unable to sit still, she had paced back and forth in the elevator. When the doors open, she felt cornered…unsure of what she should say or how to approach her teammates. What were they going to say…or do? Before she could step off the elevator, the doors closed and it was heading back upstairs. Letting out a keening cry at her lack of sense, she punched the button she needed _again_ and resigned herself to the fact that she was going to have company. _Not how I expected tonight to turn out…_

A/N: How was it? I love constructive criticism. I hope you enjoyed! - J. Lyst.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Stop!” In the echo of those words, audible growls could be heard, chilling the mutant. She knew that no one...could produce such a sound. No one else was close enough. Features twisting in agony as the sound reverberated in the still air, Ororo...remained quiet the rest of the journey...

Disclaimer: I do not own X-Men, its parent company, friends or any of its subsidiaries. It would be very nice, though. I hope you all enjoy!

Open Arms

By Juliette Lyst

Chapter Three

The day so far was fairly pleasant, so most of the team was scattered throughout the mansion and outside. In the bowels of the building, Scott had cornered Warren and goaded the winged man into joining him for a friendly game of pool. Calling it ‘friendly’ was a mild way to put it. Scott was very reserved, so it always surprised others to see just how competitive he could be. Assuming that Warren knew nothing about pool, he was sure he’d win. He played in pool halls for a while between his stints as an X-Man and during one of the many fights he’d experienced with Jean. His weakness was that he was too easy to ruffle. Many a time he’d thrown down a hand when playing a card game with Remy. Why he agreed to play against he Cajun, knowing that his chances of winning were slim, was anyone’s guess. He didn’t remember hearing about Warren playing any sort of games. Aside from the legal wrangling with his family, the aptly named ‘Angel’ was a very quiet man.

Imagine Scott’s surprise when Warren won not only the first game, but the second and third. Stopping their game after his winged friend used a marker to place another point under his name, Scott questioned him over just how he was so good at pool. Warren smiled innocently and stated that because of his experience with aerodynamics, he was able to apply the principles to win.

Or so he claimed. Sighing, Scott admitted defeat.

The truth was that the last time Remy was in the mansion, Warren had begged and pleaded for lessons. He practiced countless times on his own, first to gain the proper technique… Over time, he began to love playing. He also learned various strategies with different card games. Of course, card games were always options when playing with Gambit. Wisely, Warren had never wagered with more than potato chips or pretzel sticks. In the end, the winner got extra snacks to eat. Holding back a grin, Warren watched as Scott once again tried to set up for a proper angle shot. Brows furrowing as he finally lined everything up correctly, Scott set the cue tip in place and took the shot. A loud scraping noise alerted both men to the fact that Scott hit more of the actual table itself than the ball. To its credit though, the cue ball did roll a good distance away before bouncing into the side wall and rolling back to where it had been sitting originally. Booted feet slapped the ground, and whomever was behind the noise was rapidly approaching their location. The sound caught their attention, thankfully cutting off any commentary Warren would have made. Both looked to the source of the sound as Kitty entered the room.

“What’s going on?” Scott asked, as he watched the younger woman bend over at the waist to catch her breath. White-knuckled hands gripped her upper thighs, and Kitty braced her knees momentarily to remain standing. Had she really just sprinted from the elevator?

“Can’t…can’t stop. Come!” She panted after a moment spent regaining her equilibrium. Finding a second wind from somewhere, she darted off again, heading in the direction of the Danger Cave. Kitty knew she would have to cut through two of the rooms to get to the Cave and was grateful that she found people in the game room as well. Noticing where she was heading, Scott and Warren spared each other a glance before they began to follow at a much more sedate pace. Both of them were alarmed to see Kitty a short distance away and physically banging on the door to the Danger Cave. “Open up! Open!” She screamed first at the door, then at the massive control panel on the side, after once again entering a command in it. She slapped the casing to the panel and entered a command once more. Frustrated she pulled her hand back, and Scott immediately recognized what she was doing when her skin became translucent. If she couldn’t force herself into the Danger Cave using the more conventional methods, there was always using her powers.

“No, Kitty! Stop!” Scott hurried over to her. The last thing they needed was the control panels on the doors to be destroyed. It was only his voice that stopped her from phasing through the panel. Shifting uneasily then, she looked to Scott and deactivated her powers. “What is the meaning of this?” He kept his eyes on her, just in case she got any ideas about trying to short circuit the panel again. Just _what_ he would be able to do was anyone’s guess. There was no serious harm if the Danger Cave was unoccupied, but a destroyed access panel could have potentially trapped whoever was in there. He knew that some of the members liked running simulations on the hardest and most dangerous settings.

“I’m trying to end the program and get inside, but there’s a security code in place.” Walking up to the same panel that Kitty was been about to disable, Scott lightly squeezed the bridge of his nose. He could feel a headache coming on already. What was Katherine expecting exactly? Did she think he was going to just override the commands just because she wanted to get in there? “It’s important!”

“Why are you trying to do that?” Scott’s face displayed his confusion, tinged with some disappointment. “If you’re trying to get extra time in the Danger Cave, all you have to do--“ Shaking her head, Kitty waved her hands in front of herself, putting a quick end to his line of questioning. Panting still, she leaned against the wall and rubbed the back of her neck. There was something she needed to say… and was trying to gather her thoughts. Quieting at her curious behavior, Scott listened as she moved to explain. Warren walked over to them glancing down at Kitty. The atmosphere became a bit cloying and thick the longer Kitty delayed in speaking. “You…do know what this looks like, don’t you?” Scott finally ventured. He noticed that Kitty’s body jerked a little as if she’d woken from a light nap.

“Well….” And here, she gulped. “You remember how Ororo looked when she came home today, right?” Mostly everyone had seen the white-haired mutant come back in…looking like something a cat had dragged in. Nodding quietly, Scott briefly lowered his head. At the time he felt apprehension, unsure of what to say to her when he saw her. Whatever she had been up to, it had only put more of a strain on her shoulders. Her eyes looked haunted. They’d worked together for many years and Scott knew that Ororo was a proud, sometimes stubbornly headstrong woman. He’d never seen her look so defeated. They all felt Logan’s loss deeply, but for her it had been more than that. As he had been the main person trying to figure out ways to honor Logan’s memory, Scott had felt ashamed, embarrassed over the discussion he’d been in the middle of when she came in. He feared that she’d heard him, despite the distance he’d been from the door. Scott’s brows rose a split second later, worry beginning to fill him. What had happened to her?

“Is something wrong with her? If so, we need to get Han—” His voice was agitated, cracking a bit. Had she finally lost it and done something to herself? “Where is she, Katherine?” Kitty’s eyes widened as she watched Scott jump completely to the wrong conclusion. The older mutant was steady under pressure normally, but he turned into a jittery mess when things spun out of control.

“No! No… It’s not what you think, Scott!” At least she hoped not. “There’s nothing wrong exactly, and that’s part of the problem!” Kitty knew she wasn’t making much sense. The blank expression on Warren’s face told her this. “Look… If you could just shut down the Danger Cave, I will only have to explain this one time.” Skeptical now, but conceding, Scott turned his attention to the panel and then entered a series of commands. The control panel was programmed to work as if a part of the control room. There was always supposed to be a way to override any program and cancel it at a moment’s notice. A few minutes later, the doors began to open…with one very furry and blue man staring at Scott. Hank wondered why the holographic enemy he’d been fighting suddenly disappeared. The woman with him was dressed casually and frowned at everyone, as if she’d been interrupted in the middle of a walk in the park.

“You’d better have a good explanation for this!” She snapped, folding her arms. They made quite the odd pair. The White Queen was not known to spend much time with anyone, yet she’d been in the Danger Cave alone with Hank. Scott filed away that curious bit of information away for later.

“Emma, please!” The blue furred mutant implored. It was not very often that the two of them got to train together. She’d been working more extensively on improving her telepathic abilities. Emma knew she was no Jean Grey by any stretch, but she wanted to continue to prove herself to the team. She had a lot of work to do…to make up for what she’d been before. She also liked the tall furry man. Hank was very brilliant… and so kind. Deferring to his particular mutation, he had sworn off judging others for their appearances. On the inside, he knew that Emma was a very good person, and so he made more of a conscious effort to be polite and forthcoming to her when the situation necessitated it. In turn, she’d been more open with him about a few of the problems she was having. Her powers were fluctuating, and she was worried about what could happen if they were fighting the enemy. That discussion had preceded this particular meeting in the Danger Cave.

Which now had been ended… For no reason at all. Shifting uneasily, Kitty cleared her throat, which earned her a scowl from Emma. The petite mutant fidgeted under the withering stare. “This had better be good!” Annoyance flit across Scott’s face, not that he would put words to it. He was always careful and measured when he dealt with Emma, as if he was just waiting for her to betray them all. He did not even want her in the mansion when she first claimed to have reformed. It was ultimately Ororo who convinced the rest of the team to allow the telepath to live there.

“It’s very important,” Scott turned his gaze to Kitty. “Katherine wanted all of us together before she told us what this ‘important thing’ is.”

“It involves Ororo.” Warren offered. “I feel her words have merit,” Pushing down her own inner turmoil, Kitty spoke then.

“She seems to have…” She waggled one of her hands. “Disappeared.” Scott rubbed his ear. He wasn’t sure he’d heard her right.

“Come again, Katherine?” Exhaling loudly, her shoulders hunched forwards in a show of vexation.

“She disappeared. Vanished. Poof!” Kitty gestured wildly with her hands. “Marie and I went to check on her and there was no sign of her.” At that, she paused. Her gaze grew sad. “She left her communicator in the window sill.” She watched their eyes grew wide as they began to comprehend her words. “We think it’d be best for us to have a small team to go out and try to…bring her back.”

“Do you have any idea where she could be?” Scott asked, his voice barely above a whisper. This was unusual, yes. Ororo had run off before, though…so he wasn’t sure why Kitty was so surprised. “Maybe she said something and you misheard her?”

“No…” Kitty shook her head. Then she focused on Emma. “But someone here might be able to find her.”

*

She was moving, though it was hard to tell in which direction. The only thing that she knew was that she wasn’t moving under her own power. Someone had lifted her up and gently carried her draped over one shoulder. The sound of steadily clomping boots crushing brush underfoot rose to her attention shortly after the sensation of moving. It was an unnatural sound in the woodlands and provided enough of an anchor for her to try to cling to her waning consciousness. It was a struggle, in spite of her not using any energy now. She’d foolishly been burning off what she didn’t have to lose. The ever-shifting landscape under them made it impossible to keep track of where they were going. Strangely, the person carrying her didn’t seem deterred in the darkness, easily weaving around spots that contained downed branches and rocks. Eyes opening a crack, she was able to see very few things. Most notable however, was the backs of the boots. The person carrying her didn’t seem to struggle much under her weight. Shamefully, the Stormrider had to admit that part of that was due to the fact she’d lost so much weight. Her hands moved just a little then. Trying to lift her head, she attempted to gather some details about her potential savior. Carefully, she touched the back of one of the arms holding her in place and began to get an idea of the overall shoulder span. The person carrying her wasn’t nearly as burly as she’d expected. In fact…

“S…Relax.” The word was grunted out…gutturally, interrupting her train of thought. Something was familiar about the tone. The voice pricked sharply at her memory and she became upset. The person who had spoken to her was someone she knew. Why couldn’t she remember?! Her reflexes were sluggish still, far too much for her liking. She wasn’t able to come up with much as far as replies went and so opted for silence. She felt her position changing marginally as the person carrying her adjusted how much she hung over one shoulder. For that, she was grateful. The white-haired woman doubted hanging upside down indefinitely would be good for her. The two continued to travel in total darkness for what could have been an hour at the least. Her eyes were beginning to flutter closed…this time in sleep when she heard the scratchy voice again. “Better…” Sighing just a bit, she whimpered as her headache reminded her that it was present and still keeping her company. “Close yer eyes.” It was the only warning she had before a sudden burst of light entered the area, nearly blinding her after an extended period of darkness.

“Thanks for the warning…” She managed to quip, groaning from the sudden bright light. There was a moment of silence as the body under her grew still. She wasn’t sure if they had suddenly stopped because of something in the area and tensed. Then, the gruff voice spoke up again…at the top of their lungs.

“Stop!” In the echo of those words, audible growls could be heard, chilling the mutant. She knew that no one but the person holding her could produce such a sound. No one else was close enough. Features twisting in agony as the sound reverberated in the still air, Ororo simpered a bit and remained quiet the rest of the journey she was unfortunately a participant in.

*

“And there’s absolutely no sign of her at all?” Scott asked again, for the umpteenth time. Considering the fact that the students needed protection and knowing that their safety was top priority, the only ones allowed on this little ‘search and rescue’ mission aside from Kitty and Marie were Scott and Warren. Even though it wasn’t quite an official mission, Scott and Warren still suited up just in case. Piotr excused himself from the group, claiming he that would slow them all down. Marie wondered if his reluctance had more to do with the fact that Kitty was there as well. Both of them were still very awkward around each other. Tensing her jaw, Kitty shook her head. She hated the feeling of helplessness.

Sometimes she forgot. They were all powerful humans, capable of managing great feats. At the end of the day though, they were just people who dealt with normal problems. At times, these issues were exaggerated because of _what_ they were. Reminders of their own vulnerabilities were never welcome – yet it was happening.

Later that evening, there was a minor breakthrough – thanks to Emma. Using Cerebro had been taxing on Xavier, the most powerful mind they’d ever known. Despite how wary she was of the device; Emma had allowed herself to be strapped in. It took less than five minutes before the White Queen felt as if her brain was trying to split itself apart. The stress was immense for her. It was excruciating for her to try to wade through all of the different minds around her and focus further out on one person in particular. She began shaking while attached to the machine, her teeth clattering together.

Emma had managed to spout out some coordinates before she needed to have herself forcefully pulled from Cerebro. If her screaming had been any hint, the abrupt separation proved itself almost as painful as being strapped in. A handheld GPS tracker had been programmed with their destination and they’d set out on foot. What was gathered from Emma before she retired for some much needed sleep, was that even picking up any sign of mental activity from Ororo was spotty. _‘She keeps going dark.’_ Emma had explained. The statement could have meant anything and the few team members present tried not to let fear play into what they would do tonight. “Not that ah can recall.” Marie chimed in—again, after Scott asked them if they’d seen any other indication as to where Ororo had been headed. She was keeping pace beside Kitty, concerned over how quiet her friend was. She didn’t understand why Scott was repeating the same questions over and over. Maybe it could have been his way to cope and deal with the situation at hand. The device that he was holding was more helpful than he was, and he didn’t like the feeling of uselessness that was creeping in.

“It doesn’t make any sense that she wouldn’t leave something…a note.” The exasperation in his voice was obvious. Scott tried to convince himself that if he was ever in a similar situation, he would never allow himself to react in a similar fashion. He didn’t want to remember how he’d handled the loss of his first wife…it was far too painful and though it had been years ago, the memory was still very fresh. “Ororo wouldn’t take things lying down, she’d stand up and confront it.”

“Nothing has made sense with her. Not since we lost Logan.” Kitty replied sadly. Grimly, Scott plodded ahead. He was still reeling from learning that Ororo and Logan had actually been involved. Initially, when Katherine had begged for assistance in finding Ororo, he had hesitated. Ororo was an adult and more than able to take care of herself. Over the years, he’d seen her go through so much. He was proud of her; humbled by her and understood why she was a better leader than him. Sure…he’d been in the position first, but that did not mean he was the best for the job. Kitty then explained that Ororo was depressed over Logan’s loss and again, Scott had stated that he understood. Logan had been co-leaders with Ororo. They got along very well and together survived many dangerous scrapes. They all had been devastated over the loss of Xavier, Ororo especially. Charles had been like a father to her and they were very close. Back then, she’d disappeared for a few weeks and returned perfectly fine. She had been furious with Scott and Logan for a while over Kurt’s death. Even though both of them had intended to stop all that happened.

It didn’t matter. Killing was a line that she always tried to not cross, though she’d done such herself. Their words and apologies were not been enough. For a time, Ororo pointedly avoided both men. Content to return to his game, Scott was stunned when Kitty revealed her beliefs behind the reason Ororo was gone. Furthermore, she’d also revealed a few details that she knew about the Windrider...details that most of the members of the team were unaware of. Not believing her without discernable proof, he’d in turn left to speak with Emma. The White Queen previously was a formidable enemy at one point, and at current…she was the strongest telepath that they had. While initially suspicious over the questions Scott lobbed at her, Emma reluctantly revealed to him what she knew. When Scott returned to the game room, he’d spotted Kitty on the pool table, sitting cross legged. She’d been speaking privately with Warren, who stood at attention with his arms crossed. His wings were intermittently twitching as well.

Now that they were all aware of the scope of the situation, Scott immediately went into leadership mode. He was angry there’d been no clue about the relationship between two of his teammates. Had he been that oblivious or were they good at hiding? Scott was also disappointed that they’d felt the need to sneak around. Though, outright knowledge of the long-term affair could have raised questions about the feasibility of having two lovers in charge of so many people. Both of them had been teachers as well, with Wolverine taking over control of the Danger Cave sessions. Considering his condition after the loss of his healing factor, he’d been outright verbally restricted from going into combat. That led to him being banned even in Danger Cave sessions. He’d been angry and raged over all the limitations. He wanted nothing more than to go full tilt in a barroom brawl. Thoroughly acclimated to constantly being in motion, the man did not like the sudden _dire_ need to stop. “Considering what you’ve told me, ShadowCat…I’m not surprised.” Pursing her lips faintly, Kitty nodded. She hated how they had to use their code names, even though they weren’t around civilians. It was Scott’s way though, and she was not one to argue with him.

The young woman fidgeted, distressed by how slow everyone was going. “Wouldn’t…” She cleared her throat lightly. “Wouldn’t it make more sense to have one of us fly towards the coordinates?” Scott lightly shook his head. When he noticed how irked Kitty appeared, he glanced over his shoulder. Marie and Warren knew better than most the benefits and downsides to being in the air. Mistakes were made in Marie’s past, more than her fair share. All of them were guilty of messing up. Since she seemed to follow her emotions and tended to be a loner, she wasn’t considered leadership material. Despite that, she had led the group for a very short period of time. Locking eyes with Scott a moment, Marie soundlessly shook her head. She didn’t want to get into this discussion. Lips thinning into a straight line, Scott nodded. Shrugging her shoulders helplessly, she frowned when Kitty glanced her way. “Well?” Brows pinching together, Kitty lightly stomped her foot. “I don’t understand! It’s so simple…why don’t we just fly right over there?” Letting out a breath in frustration, Marie began to speak up.

“Think about it, Cat… If ah saw ya flyin overhead, ah would know ta hide.” After speaking, briefly at that, Marie fell silent. She did not like when she was forced to voice her opinions, even if she was only telling the truth. As a person who housed a variety of personalities and thoughts in her head, it was sometimes hard for her to hone in on the part of her mind that was _her_. Silenced by the message conveyed, Kitty’s lips turned downwards. She noticeably put space between herself and Scott. Though she didn’t like what they were telling her, she couldn’t ignore the facts. One thing that they did know was Ororo was missing. Secondly, they had coordinates from Emma. By the time they made it there, what were their real chances of finding Ororo? Kitty still felt like she was at fault. What she impulsively proposed could have potentially put her friend’s life in danger, were Ororo the victim of a kidnapper.

Kitty just wanted everything to move faster.

By the looks of things, they would be walking for at least an hour or two. _It could be too late…_ Not wanting to upset anyone, she kept her mouth shut.

A/N: Hey there! I hope you enjoyed! Have a good day, and I appreciate constructive criticism! – J. Lyst


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Her head pounded, in time with her own heartbeat. Worse was the lance of pain radiating from right leg. It was troubling. The heat she felt was suddenly not as comforting… As she began to wonder if it originated from outside her own body or from within. Additional body heat meant possible fever.
> 
> Afraid, she let out another scream. She felt the stranger’s breath against her ear and could smell heavy musk coming off their body. A hand abruptly covered her mouth.

Disclaimer: I do not own X-Men, nor any of their comrades, side comics. I don’t have access or know anyone of any importance in the movie business that could just squeeze me in. It would be nice though, wouldn’t it? I hope you enjoy!

Open Arms

By Juliette Lyst

Chapter 4

Consciousness returned slowly, but when it did, the first sounds she was aware of was a faint crackle. Wherever she lay, it was warm. So much so, that her eyes fluttered closed a moment. Her body needed rest and who was she not to oblige? Swallowing faintly as she felt herself relaxed even more, she coughed lightly as her dry tongue hit the equally dry roof of her mouth. Shifting her limbs to reposition herself, she moaned as her own body reminded her of what it had been through. Her head pounded, in time with her own heartbeat. Worse was the lance of pain radiating from right leg. It was troubling. The heat she felt was suddenly not as comforting… As she began to wonder if it originated from outside her own body or from within. Additional body heat meant possible fever. Was it even possible for infection to have set in so quickly? Wriggling around had only aggravated the injury, wrenching a weak cry from her throat. Hoping to alleviate the aching throb, she reached down to the makeshift brace she’d created to tighten it. _Maybe that will help…_ Despite what she told herself, fat droplets of sweat were already beading on her brows. Another crackling was heard, overlapping the sound nearest her. She took a moment to peer around the space she was in. Fire was casting a bright orange glow on the walls of what must have been a cave. Panting lightly, she shook her head a little to keep herself grounded and reached again for her leg. She hadn’t heard a noise, not a peep. Yet, suddenly, there was another person there. A pair of hands grabbed her wrists. Afraid, she let out another scream. She felt the stranger’s breath against her ear and could smell heavy musk coming off their body. A hand abruptly covered her mouth, and she struggled, belatedly hearing soft humming.

The body that was close to hers was solid and unmoving and after a moment, she stopped fighting. “Please.” She pleaded after her mouth was uncovered. Her free hand was once again grasped by the wrist. Ororo whimpered as she tried to break away from their hold. “Don’t hurt me.” Ororo began to tremble as the agony in her leg fought with the ever-cloying misery in her heart. She felt like a fool, like she had let everyone down. Here she was, broken…hurt and somewhere she didn’t want to be. She wasn’t sure what was going to happen to her.

“No…” The voice rumbled in response after an uncomfortably long pause. “No fight.” When Ororo went to move her hands again, she was once more restrained. “Stop…” Ororo looked around, her vision a bit hazy. She had begun to shake, unable to help herself. Desperately, she tried to see the face of her captor. “Will hurt.” Was said in warning. There was no heat behind the words either, just a chilling calm that took her breath away. That made the white-haired mutant grow still. She wasn’t sure if that had been a warning or a threat. “Stay…” Obediently remaining still as instructed, Ororo tried to study the stranger as they stepped around her. Something about them seemed odd… She wasn’t entirely sure, but the frame of the person’s body was slight. He…or perhaps _she_ wasn’t that tall either. If anything, this stranger was very diminutive. They had long, shaggy dark hair. It was so thick that when they turned to face her, she couldn’t see much. Of course, this stranger was smart and had known to dip his or her head just enough… “You…hurt.” As the stranger knelt at Ororo’s injured leg, the Windrider stiffened. However, she relaxed when she noticed that they didn’t try to aggravate it. Instead, they were feeling around very carefully. The touch, which she expected to be rough, was surprisingly gentle. Was this person a healer of some sort? Ororo knew that mutants who healed existed, though they tended to be few and far between. Hissing suddenly as she felt pressure right where the injury to her leg was, she blinked a little as the stranger’s head lifted. She got a brief flash of green eyes. Her mouth moved, but no words came out. Who was this? “Hurt…” The stranger pointed directly at the limb with its makeshift splint.

“Yes…” Ororo admitted. “I cut my head here--oh!” Her searching hands encountered cloth. That had certainly not been there before. The binding wasn’t too tight, but it wasn’t so loose that it would fall off either. Preoccupied with the bandage wrapped around her forehead, she moved her hands away from her injured leg. “Where did…?” She glanced to the stranger, a brow raising. “Did you do this?” She held her breath for a moment and was surprised when the stranger nodded slowly. “I… Thank you.” She was awarded with a faint grunt and another slight nod. “Really. I mean that. You didn’t have to help me.” Ororo sensed that whomever this was, they didn’t like unnecessary attention. Instead of responding to her words, they allowed themself to again focus on her leg.

“This bad.” She felt a light tap near her knee. Ororo silently paid attention. “Need fix.” The same hand began to investigate the splint that Ororo had tried to tie onto herself carefully. “Bound...wrong.” Blinking a little, Ororo managed to catch another glimpse of her savior as they rose to turn to the fire again. Her eyes narrowed faintly, studying the silhouette again. _Is…This is a woman?_ Ororo wondered how the woman had come to live on her own out there. “How far did fall?” There was faint clearing of the stranger’s throat heard then. Ororo wondered how much this person actually spoke. She wondered more if they were nearing the limits of it. She felt warm suffuse her cheeks, realizing the effort required to communicate with her. Was English their native language even? Glancing around again, she also wondered if the two of them were alone.

“The how is not important.” She glanced to the ceiling of the cave as she heard the oddly comforting sounds of another person moving around. “All that matters is that I am mostly unharmed. What of you though, my friend?” The steps paused for a moment and Ororo lifted her head briefly. _Friend._ Ororo wondered. Was it even right to call them that? Despite the kindness on display, she had no way to guage their true intentions. “You live out here, alone.” She hoped. “If you are interested, when I am recovered, I will try to find you more permanent lodgings.” Seeing the dark head shake, she sighed lightly. _Maybe I am overstepping my bounds._ She thought to herself. “It’s not so bad you know.” She remarked lightly. “Being around other people isn’t so bad after all. Many problems can be solved when there are other people around.” Hearing her own word, she paused a moment and bit her lip. Now, she was beginning to regret how she had been acting of late. She had been awash in her own grief and pushed away all offers of aid. She was here to begin with because she refused someone’s aid. Half closing her eyes, she attempted to summon a wind to cool her face and was dismayed when nothing happened. _Just where have my powers gone?_ It was frightening that she was unable to summon her abilities to the fore. If she took time to consider how hard she had been pushing herself though, it wasn’t too surprising. She was pulled away from her musings when she was handed a thick stick. “What is this?” Shaking their head again, her new friend dropped into a crouch and pointed to the stick. As if that made a lick of difference to her.

“Need re-break bone. Leg bone twisted… not set right.” Blue eyes grew round at those words. Both hands lightly rested on Ororo’s leg and glanced at her, waiting. There was something so familiar about those eyes, but without being able to fully see the face, the Windrider was unable to sate her curiosity. “Bite stick.” Brows furrowing, Ororo inspected the offered stick first. Relieved that there was nothing on it and it did not smell like any drugs she was familiar with; she felt the hold on her leg tighten slightly. “Bite down on stick!” This time, it was obviously no a request. She was going to need to bite down. Nodding quietly, Ororo indeed bit down. It proved to be a very good idea to as the grip on her leg tightened. With one hand, Ororo’s leg was held taut and the other hand was used to firmly twist the bones back in place. Manipulating the positioning of bones was no easy feat. Most medical professionals employed the use of more than one person. This particular woman didn’t seem to have any problems at all though. Biting the stick so hard that she worried she’d break a tooth, Ororo cried out from the pain. Her agonized screams echoed off the cave walls, but her _friend_ did not relent. The muscles in the woman’s arms trembled as she performed the delicate operation…without the use of any modern medical machinery or even surgical lights. “Keep going.” Was all that was uttered as she finally set the bones appropriately and began to retie them. She trembled, her muscles beginning to spasm uncontrollably. Thankfully, the white-haired mutant felt herself teetering on the edges of consciousness.

Then, her stomach decided to void itself of its contents.

*

“Ohh….my head is killing me!” Frowning at that, Henry soaked a heavy cloth in a fresh basin of cold water. He glanced to the prone woman lying on one of the beds in the medlab. She’d come in few hours previous, bellowing at the top of her lungs. Two of the students were escorting her –they appeared more frightened that she was. Her sense of balance was off, as she kept swaying back and forth with the students struggling to keep up. There’d been no explanation as to what was causing her pain, nor any immediate idea as to how to stop it. Hank was patient regardless and had tried to figure out from her just what she’d taken for pain. Answers weren’t forthcoming. The big, blue furred mutant had been busy studying one of the fresh slides he’d obtained after calling in a favor from Tony Stark. He knew there was a growing opinion that the mutant gene could just be turned off…and after a few of the mutants had been depowered, he wanted to find how to turn their powers back on. He’d been interrupted by Emma’s violent entrance into the medlab. The telepath had been mumbling and had frothy saliva coming from her mouth. Alarmed and fearful that she had been in the midst of another seizure, Hank had promptly stopped her at the door and guided her to sit on the floor first. The beds were far more comfortable, but his worry was that she’d throw herself off and cause further injury. “What was I thinking? Stupid stupid--”

“What you did was very courageous, at least in my opinion.” Hearing him speak stopped her tirade for a moment. He knew what she meant. Entering Cerebro was a fool’s folly if she’d ever heard of one. Voluntarily at that. Brows furrowing, Emma glanced up at Hank. Her eyes fluttered shut then as he pressed the freshly wrung cloth to her head. “Not many would be willing to take on the task that you did. And for someone that you are not entirely comfortable with.” Emma cracked open one eye at his comment, but didn’t respond. It wasn’t a lie that she did not get along well with the woman that she’d taken to merely calling ‘The Weather Witch’. It was a double handed slap. Ororo did descend from a long line of witches, but was still unable to access that portion of herself. Maybe that was for the best. Though they knew from Piotr’s sister that an alternate version of Ororo was quite adept at magic, this reality’s Ororo did not have that ability at all. The Stormrider thought that her powers were more than enough as far as any ‘powers’ went. The second insult was pointing directly at her abilities to control the weather. Once in her young life, Ororo had altered the weather in one way to help people…and had quickly learned the consequences of messing with the forces of nature. Over the years, she had developed an exceptional amount of control over her weather-altering abilities. Above all, she respected the natural balance of the world and felt things that happened to the planet on a supernatural level. This almost ‘precognitive’ sense of hers was very unnerving at times. Even more worrisome was that there were many instances in which she was unable to even skim the upper levels of Ororo’s mind.

“It’s not that I’m uncomfortable Hank…and you know it.” Again, she leveled a stare on him. To his credit, Hank bowed his head over his task and didn’t make any remarks. “I think I’ve really started off on the wrong foot with her. It’s been on-going for a long time.” Emma struggled a bit to raise herself up onto her elbows. “Very on-going.” Hank’s bushy brows came together at her words. He knew very well just how badly the two women got along. If not for sheer fortune alone, both of them would have destroyed each other. As it was, Ororo had exceptional control over her abilities and always took to the air to avoid confrontations with Emma. Instead of responding right away, he went back to saturating the cloth. There was a puddle forming on the ground, but he would deal with that later. “It’s my fault really. I should take the time to at least talk to her.” His brows twitched again and Emma offered him a half smile. She usually knew or had some inkling of what the man referred to as ‘Beast’ was thinking. However, right now, she was not up to par to use her powers. “And apologize. I know you’re going to tell me that I need to say I’m sorry.” Her own eyebrows then furrowed in concern. “I…I don’t think she’d accept my apologies, Hank. She’s not very trusting of me--I mean she doesn’t seem that she trusts me too much.” It was true that Emma was able to read minds and her past history did make her untrustworthy.

If the blonde was honest to herself…that was the main cause of Ororo not liking her much…that she had so willingly followed a darker path in life for so long, despite being able to hear the cries of the innocent. The white-haired mutant had trusted Logan though, but after that whole debacle that resulted in Kurt being killed… Of course, Emma had known about that too and hard carelessly brought it up in conversation. It had been careless vitriol spouted by a woman who’d just had her feelings hurt. Kurt’s death was still fresh in everyone’s mind, and she’d had to go and spill what she’d learned about it. Ororo had wanted to keep it quiet…exactly what had happened, but Emma had easily pulled the core cause of events from Ororo’s thoughts just that once…as everything was bubbling right near the surface. All of this was of course, because Emma was Emma and had no problem invading people’s privacy. She’d also been the main person to know about the relationship between Ororo and Logan. Thankfully, she’d kept that silent at least. It didn’t help matters much now though.

“Well, my dear you are a bit--ah--“ Hank fumbled a bit with finding the proper wording. _Abrasive_ was what he wanted to say, but hesitated. He didn’t want to be insulting in the least, but he wanted to convey his own thoughts and opinions over what had happened. “A bit vigorous in proving that you are capable to use your abilities. For the greater good, of course!” After saying that, Hank had done his best to clear his thoughts entirely.

“Please…” Emma snickered, wincing a split second later. “I’ve been completely virulent to the team until lately.” She stated flatly. Hank grew silent, knowing that there was nothing he could say to change her mind. It wasn’t as if she was telling a lie. She had been absolutely dreadful towards the others. He remembered how she’d been after joining the X-Men. She’d been enraged, claimed that her leader was betraying them all. There were quite a few colorful things that came out of Emma’s mouth that day. Later, she’d stated that she wished she could have stopped long enough to properly think about her words. Magneto, understandably, had been less than impressed with her attitude. As usual, he also wore that blasted helmet that blocked her mindreading powers. Not that he worried about her in the least. His helmet had been worn for so long to block Xavier’s power. When she’d chosen to ally herself with Magneto’s merry band…it was with the understanding that he would be the sole leader of them all. She questioned some of his tactics, but understood the underlying motive. Humans would never be welcoming or accepting to their kind, so it was within reason that they prove just who was on top of the proverbial food chain. When he’d had a sudden ‘change of heart’ and chosen to join sides with the X-Men, she’d been livid. As far as the White Queen had been concerned, the X-Men stood for everything that Magneto was against.

They regularly defended the plight of humans, to their own detriment. They didn’t try to fight back against the attacks of the humans at all. That was something that she still didn’t understand nor did she wish to. Yet…now here she was. She had gone and joined the merry band of happy-go-lucky human-huggers. Her eyes closed faintly as she heard and sensed Hank shift to the bowl of water again. He was very different than his outward appearance would have led others to believe. Within his ferocious exterior lay a man that cared…far too much. He also felt for the plight of humans, but he ached for his mutant brethren more. His appearance made any attempts at hiding in the open impossible. He’d been experimenting on ways to counteract his bestial appearance, but he hadn’t as of yet been successful. She wondered if anyone had even told him how he looked. “Hey,” She murmured, after a moment. Stopping his actions briefly, he glanced down to her. _He’s not so bad at all._ She thought, feeling a strange sensation in her chest. Unused to being in close proximity with anyone for so long, she was struggling to come to terms with someone being so close. Nothing about him made her afraid. Her eyes were focused on the cloth for a long moment before she redirected her full attention to him.

“Is something else hurting, Emma?” Hank asked, leaning closer to her. Moving was becoming difficult, her brows furrowing a bit as she commanded her limbs to cooperate. Thankfully, the White Queen found herself able to reach out for one of his hands. “I…” Her mouth moved silently, but words weren’t forthcoming. His expression became puzzled. “I don’t understand. What seems to be the matter?” She tugged his hand and pointed to a seat. Lightly shaking his head, he pulled the chair over with one foot and lifted her into the seat. “Are you having problems communicating?” His concern was touching. Grabbing a pen light, he was careful to ensure she was seated properly before carefully shining the light in her eyes. Wincing at the light, she hissed faintly. In spite of the pain, she remained still and managed to control her tongue.

“No.” Her voice was quiet as she responded. “I was just thinking.” Her head moved a bit, her eyes sliding shut. “With the world shut out for a moment, I can think for myself…” The silence she was dealing with had been frightening at first. Normally, it took considerably control to block out the thoughts of others around her. Even in sleep, she had to maintain mental walls to get a decent night’s rest. “It’s all so nice…and quiet. I’m not even trying.” When her powers had first activated, she’d been young and terrified. She thought that she was losing her mind. In a way, maybe she had. She certainly had lost some part of herself in those dark days. Now…it was like before. Everything was so…still. She should have been asking him why everything was so different…but instead….

_That_ had not been something that the telepath had ever told him before. “Emma--” Her right arm rose, two of her fingers resting over his mouth. A serene smile crossed her lips then. Hank felt a mixture of confusion and concern. As far as she knew, there had been no documented cases of mutant abilities just _suddenly_ turning themselves off. Had using Cerebro caused this? Right now, he knew that Emma wasn’t going to say anything else on the matter.

“I’m going to rest now…” As he made to get up, she tsked. Gently, he assisted her in standing and helped her to the bed assigned her to her in the medlab. “I need to sleep, Hank. I want to enjoy this silence while it lasts.” She said, as an explanation. The blue-furred mutant did not argue with her. He helped her get settled, then pulled the covers over her. Audibly sighing then, Hank ducked his head down a little. Reaching over, he turned off her communicator. Pulling another chair over as quietly as he could, he moved away to grab his medical notes and a clipboard. He grabbed a pen as well and then sat down next to her again, propping his feet up. It was going to be a long night so it seemed. Sighing again, he lightly popped the top of the pen and began writing after finding his place again.

*

It was possible for one to scream themselves raw. The activity involved was one of Ororo’s least favorite list of things to do. When she’d awoken, the reality of what happened slammed into her hard. She didn’t like being shot or stabbed, yet the white-haired mutant would have taken a dozen stabbings over the sensation of having the bones in her leg reset. Thankfully, she had already voided her stomach of any sustenance she’d held within her. Bile had come up again, despite her mental protests. She could control the elements, but she couldn’t control her own stomach. The irony was not lost on her, but instead of laughing, she felt tears coming again. If she’d had even a quarter of James’ healing factor, she would have been feeling better already. “It’s bad. Not going to lie.” The other woman spoke. Her speech was becoming less grainy. Perhaps Ororo had misjudged her and she was only rusty at speech. The Windrider’s gaze was unfocussed, her vision hazy from both sickness and pain. Slowly, her head turned to the sound of the voice, only to find herself looking in those green eyes up close. Instead of the fear that her savior likely expected, she tensed her jaw and maintained eye contact. The trick proved fruitful as she saw crinkles of amusement around those eyes. “Bad or good news first?” Breaking eye contact then, Ororo laughed out loud. Here she was, in a cave with some savage woman…sick and half starved. How else could things get worse? _Maybe I shouldn’t wonder…_

“Surprise me.” The words were said flippantly, but a slight smile crossed her lips. Ororo knew that she had confused, even stunned the woman with her words and actions. Here she was, plastered with sweat, bleeding and yet still found some humor in the entire situation. What wasn’t there to laugh about? Being tied to the primal essence of the earth and able to tap its power like a reservoir…that was what she had. So to suddenly be knocked out of the air, she was much like a marionette with its strings cut. Not only did she not _stick_ her landing, but she’d broken her leg and was now being cared for by a perfect stranger – one whom she had pestered with her suggestions of ‘something better’…before realizing her own folly. Those she knew, she didn’t take help and now she _needed_ help from someone she did not know.

“Compound fracture…that’s why the binding didn’t hold too well.” Ororo looked alarmed at the words, all traces of humour gone. “You’d been lying there for who knew how long.” The voice stopped momentarily as the green eyes glanced away for a moment. “I felt the protrusion in the skin when I went to readjust the position you had your leg bound in.” The woman’s dark brows drew tightly together. “The stuff you were laying in…well…” Lightly shaking her head, she gestured to the front of Ororo’s body, which was still covered a bit in muck. “Unknown how long you would have stayed there if I hadn’t been out here.” Rising to her feet, she glanced down at Ororo. The firelight danced just a bit in her eyes, bringing attention to some curious blue and gold highlights in her hair. Ororo wondered how it was possible that she hadn’t noticed _that_ before. “Good news is that I got the bones back in place and you should heal given time.” Gone, it seemed, was the strange nearly monosyllabic savage-ish woman that Ororo had originally believed herself to be found by. Though it still sounded like the stranger was unused to speaking for long periods yet. She coughed then, rubbing at her throat, adding weight to Ororo’s theory that she didn’t speak much. _What is her story, I wonder…_ Ororo mused. “Bad news is that you hit your head pretty bad. Probably worse than you believe you have. I was worried when you passed out the last time.” She shrugged her slight shoulders. Her size was puzzling. How was it possible that someone so small could carry the white-haired mutant? “You do seem a bit more alert, which is good. No hospitals for miles around out here.”

“What about this fever?” Puzzled at the question, the woman moved closer again and felt Ororo’s forehead. It didn’t escape the mutant’s notice that this stranger had more than a small amount of medical knowledge. Who was she? _Out here?_ Ororo thought with a tinge of panic once the words registered. Exactly where was ‘out here’ supposed to be? True, she hadn’t been focusing too much when she’d been flying, but if her guess was right…she was miles away from the mansion…possibly even in another state. She would have slapped herself in the head for her foolishness… if she didn’t worry she’d aggravate whatever head injury that she had.

“You don’t have one. Why would you have one?” The question was a puzzle indeed. “If you had an infection, there would be signs...and it wouldn’t happen the same day either.” Now, it was the Stormrider’s chance to look utterly flabbergasted. What exactly was she to say then was causing the flashes of heat under her skin? As if hearing her questions, her body did heat up then perceptibly. Watching the hand on her forehead suddenly shift and see something akin to alarm in those green eyes, Ororo feared the worst. The wild-woman being startled by something when she’d displayed so much medical prowess already – that wasn’t good. “That…doesn’t make any sense. You were perfectly cool a moment ago.” Lightly shaking her head, she glanced to the cave’s entrance. “Stay put. I’ll see about rounding up some dinner. Maybe I can also pluck a bit of aloe for that fever.” She meandered for a bit. “Need to get some fresh water too. I won’t be long.” Hearing the name of a plant she was very familiar with, Ororo rested…just a little.

“I didn’t somehow travel to Africa, did I?” A snort was the woman’s immediately reply before she laughed. Aloe was a well-known plant and she was surprised that this stranger would have access to it. Though the plant was around the world now, so she shouldn’t have been that surprised.

“No. Course, they could do with some of your thunderstorms right now.” Winking then at Ororo’s slack face, the small woman waved briefly before stepping out of the cave. It took the Stormrider more than a few minutes to compose herself. Now, her relief at being saved from her own recklessness was slowly turning into worry. Somehow, the stranger knew her secret… Her appearance didn’t do much to hide who she was, but she doubted there was television reception out there. _Who is that?_ She struggled as the same question returned to mind. Who was this strange woman? As she lightly twitched and felt goosebumps rise in reaction to her temperature stabilizing again, she hissed faintly and hugged herself. And just why was she unable to control her own temperature? One benefit of being able to control the elements was that she wasn’t as easily affected by the various weather patterns in the world. It also meant, however, that she could almost completely control how hot or cold she felt. Right now, that ability seemed to be fleeing from her.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I love constructive criticism. Have a good evening! – J. Lyst.


	5. The Warrior

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another possibility came to mind then. Was anyone looking for Ororo? She wanted to smack herself in the head at the foolish thought. It was almost certain that the entire team was out looking for the white-haired mutant. They should be here soon. She wasn’t upset, but wondered if she would be left alone out here again. 
> 
> It never occurred to her that they had erred, and their original point of direction might no longer be valid. The sound of crunching leaves reached her, along with heavy breathing. Looking up she noted that her cover was being pushed aside. Features twisting, she hissed furiously at the bear before her. Would that prove to be a mistake?

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any part or parcel of the X-Men franchise. I’m not going to cry…I promise!

 **Warning:** There is some body horror in this chapter. If you are easily squeamish, you might want to wait for a future update.

 **Thanks:** A big thank you goes to my beta, **Sumira79**. Thanks for helping rein me in. Thank you to **The Vulture Queen** and **Alaster Boneman** for your reviews. I’m doing what I can to continually improve the story. Keeping it readable is my aim. I hope you all enjoy!

Open Arms

By Juliette Lyst

The Warrior

_Somewhere_

“Ah wish these directions were more direct.” The southern mutant stated with a frown. “We don’ need this zig-zag business!” In other words, Marie wished that they were going in a very short straight line and would be done with this little trip promptly. That wasn’t the reality any of them were facing, and she hated that. “Why couldn’t Emma give us some betta directions?” Kitty nudged her then, struggling not to roll her eyes. Marie wasn’t comfortable around Emma. Considering the blonde mutant’s history, that wasn’t surprising. Very few of the mutants at the Institute got along with Emma at all, but the telepath seemed to be making a genuine effort. Voluntarily connecting herself to Cerebro had proven to be a risk to her own health, but to help them – she had taken the challenge on. It was an irrefutable fact that if not for her aid, they would have no clue where to head at all.

“Hush.” Kitty whispered. “It was dangerous for her to try at all.”

Over the last hour, Kitty had kept close to the gloved woman. Her earlier anger over their plight was evaporating. Kathrine didn’t like being proven wrong let alone being told that her ideas were wrong. The curly-haired mutant was gradually getting better at accepting criticism though. In the not so distant past, she’d done so many things without taking into consideration the consequences. It made her reconsider what type of relationship she had with Piotr. The gentle man had done absolutely nothing to justify what befell him. Who had truly been the injured party between the two of them? Even this morning, Kathrine had felt upset with _him_ for what _she_ had done. _No wonder he didn’t want to come with us. It wasn’t ‘us’ that he wasn’t comfortable with. It was ‘me’ that bothered him._ She felt remorseful for the foul way their relationship had ended. It was all her fault! How could she ever make it right?

“Emma gave us the coordinates. The computer drew up directions.” Scott replied, in his usual calm tone. Even under the pressure they were all dealing with, he was still level-headed. “In fact, had we followed them directly, we would have run through several mountaintops and be under a lake.” Now, a faint smirk appeared as he heard Marie’s exasperated grunt. “I plotted the safest route to avoid detection.” Behind his quartz glasses, not much of his expression could be discerned, but he did pointedly look away as Marie stomped over to him. “It’s not safe for any anti-mutant group to know we’re in the area.” It made sense. Scott was not in the habit of going against the book, even in instances like this. They did need to be careful and not draw attention to where they were.

“An’ it’s fine for us to walk ovah sixty miles out in tha open?” Marie waved her arms as she asked him this. She had her own point to be made. What did Scott assume they would accomplish by traveling the entire trip on foot? If there were problems, all of them would be utterly exhausted by the time they arrived. They could have taken the Blackbird and been there already. Scott had immediately taken to the mission as if it was some sort of covert operation though and had claimed it was safer to walk. Safer for whom…would have been an adequate question. “Ah thought we were gonna meet someone and ride the rest of tha way.”

“We are, but we have to go a little farther. We’re not out in the open either.” Scott needlessly pointed out. “This route takes us away from the main roads. We should avoid all people if necessary… Wait, where are you all going?” The small group had turned around, minus Scott and were walking right back to the mansion, a wonderful four-mile hike. “We need to keep going! Storm is not that way!” At his words, Marie turned around and lightly shook her head. Her nerves were frayed at this point, and she was not in the mood to deal with Scott’s foolhardy decisions.

“Scott, ah don’t think ya understand. It’s foolish and stupid of us ta waste time walking when we coulda rode or flown there. We wasted time walking up here. Had ya told us there was no ride waiting _right away_ , we woulda used our own vehicle!” She lightly shrugged. “Ah’m not scared of anyone spotting us out here. It’s dark… Which means we’ll have a betta cova!” Not waiting for him to reply, she turned away and irritably ran her fingers through her hair.

“I…” Sighing, Scott shook his head. “You have a point.” He wasn’t happy though. He _had_ arranged for a ride to pick them up, but everyone was in such a rush. There were so many dangers that they faced, with increasing numbers of mutants going underground to hide from the hate groups. It wouldn’t have mattered if the humans were limited to a handful, but it seemed overnight that the number of ‘anti-mutant’ groups had tripled overnight. This was why he urged caution. Being too hasty could be dangerous for Ororo.

_Then again…_ He thought. _Being too late could be worse._ He fought with himself not to clench his fists, not wanting to expose his own inner turmoil.

“Thanks sugah. See you back at tha school!” Even as Marie spoke, she was taking to the air, not in the mood to walk the entire distance back. She immediately activated her communicator; the conversation being lost on the wind. Warren gently lifted Kitty in his arms and took to the sky as well. Tilting his head lightly as his teammates returned to reassess their plan, Scott grunted.

“I suppose I’ll just walk…right?” He asked to the open sky. Instead of being as angry as he expected, he was beginning to kick himself. It was his responsibility to act reasonably when a situation rose and instead of that, he’d put his entire team in a bad situation. Time was not promised to any of them, and he had soundly wasted far too much of it. Now, Ororo was no closer to being found and there would be an even bigger delay to locate her. Another thought came to him, unbidden. _What if she has already moved since the last read?_ Steeling his jaw, he tried not to think about the potentially deadly consequences for his actions.

When he’d mapped their journey out from the coordinates they’d been given, he hadn’t initially revealed just how far they would have to travel. To him, it was best to keep some details close to the vest. On a small screen, the distance wasn’t very far at all. He supposed, if he was honest with himself, he was still stumbling, struggling to come to grips with losing both a comrade and possibly losing someone he looked to as a sibling. He’d tried to ignore the fact that she was struggling much more than the others in dealing with Logan’s loss. He kept trying to tell himself that she had her own ways to manage her unhappiness…and she was an adult after all, so he had no room to interfere. Being thrust into the position of leader again was not something he had anticipated. Not so soon. Maybe he was too closely involved in the entire situation. His shoulders slumped then, as he suddenly felt very guilty. It was his fault that there was a delay now.

Scott hated the options set before him. The trail could already be cold. He idly ground his teeth together. He’d need to approach Emma again to see if she remembered any other details about where Ororo was. Something was better than nothing at all, right? He tried desperately to forget how the telepath handled being forcibly separated from Cerebro. The screams were ones he would not soon forget.

_MedLab – One Hour Later_

There was only one problem with Scott’s plan. “No. Absolutely not. I will not allow it.” To emphasize his point, Hank was standing at his full height, his furred arms crossed. He stepped in front of Emma’s prone form on the bed, blocking any view of her with his body. She was currently asleep, which had to be a miracle of some sort considering how loud the discussion was getting. _Could_ it be called a discussion at all? Some of Hank’s fur was on end, making him seem bigger. He was completely against his team leader in this situation. “She’s already drained herself. You can’t expect her to wake up again and if a few moments of rest will nullify what happened.” As a physician, his patient was priority. With her unable to defend herself, Hank had no problem stepping in.

“It’s my fault we lost so much time, Hank! I wouldn’t be asking this favor if not for that.” Yet, Hank continued to shake his head. He didn’t appreciate the logic that Scott held behind putting a woman’s health in jeopardy. “We’re losing even more time sitting here!”

“I’m sorry, Scott, but it’s not happening. She’s finally sleeping now. You all are not going to wake her up for this.” Turning to Emma, Hank returned to his seat and took up the position of a sentry, turning the chair around and eyeballing first his teammate and then slowly looking to the door. “Whatever demons you’ve stirred up by your mistakes are yours to handle. She won’t be cleaning up your mess. I won’t allow it.” The message he was sending was perfectly clear. Get out. Nodding in understanding, Scott raised his hands and turned, exiting the medlab. Thankfully, he’d gone in there alone. It would have been embarrassing if that had happened in front of the others. As he walked into the main hall, away from the elevators, he spotted Marie. Unable to mask the dissatisfaction on her face, she approached him.

“We’re ready in tha hangar bay. Ya can follow if you want.” His brow rose. “We’re taking tha Blackbird, Scott. We need ta step on it and get in there.” Pivoting on her heel, Marie hurried to the hangar bay. Without speaking, Scott followed her. So, it seemed Rogue had once against taken over leadership of the team. Not that he was going to complain over it. As the two of them reached their destination, he noticed Bobby and Kitty talking privately in a corner. A massive man stood there as well and offered a friendly wave at Scott’s dropped jaw. _Just who else has heard of her missing exactly?_ Not that he was angry to see James there at all, but he was surprised. He knew the heavy-hitting mutant did not like violence and had left after the ill-begotten plan hatched with Logan. A pair of fluttering wings was visible as Megan also stepped into the hangar bay. Piotr, oddly enough, was up there as well. He was leaning against the opposite side of the bay, stealing glances at Kitty when he was sure she didn’t notice.

Scott wasn’t sure what to think of that. Sure, he knew that they were only friends now… But hadn’t Ororo and Logan just been friends as well? The breakup between Kitty and Piotr was still very fresh in his mind. Even fresher was her breakup with Pete Wisdom. The last time the two men met, they'd nearly killed each other. Scott knew that the metallic man wasn’t possessive, so he speculated over whether Piotr was hurt from the separation or the knowledge that the relationship couldn’t have a chance at all. Scott had thankfully been quiet the evening Piotr had shared his insights on the situation. It was a mess. The man was so soft-spoken with Kitty now, as if he wanted to be anywhere but near her. Scott knew that wasn’t the case, but also respected him and would allow him to sort the problem on his own.

If he could.

“Everyone.” Scott spoke up, straightening his shoulders. “We’re going to need an extra hand…or more. I’m not sure exactly what we’re going to encounter when we get there.” His gaze surveyed the people there, pride stirring in his chest then. He felt proud of every single person in the room right now…all of them coming for Ororo. He also had to admit a health amount of surprise was over how all of them had made it to the mansion so quickly. “We don’t’ have a lot of time to spare. So… I just want to let you all know that if you don’t want to join, you don’t need to. We’re expecting this to be a simple search and retrieve mission for Ororo.” Though Scott addressed everyone as a whole, his gaze lingered on James. He felt a lot of regret about what the large man had been forced to endure. “Thunderbird--I mean James… I don’t know what to say. It would be great if you came along.” The tall man grinned, his brown eyes twinkling.

“For Storm, it’s worth it.” Nodding faintly, he added as an afterthought, “By the way, name’s Warpath now. Thunderbird is where he belongs…in the ground.” His words were tinged with regret, as if he hated leaving all vestiges of his brother behind. As he turned to the Blackbird and began approaching the jet, he didn’t notice the sudden alarm on Scott’s face.

_Just what happened to you? What were you going through?_ Scott wondered. Thankfully, the bespectacled man didn’t have time to figure that out. They had other much more pressing concerns. Like finding their missing leader.

_The Woods_

The thrill of the hunt was always exhilarating. More than anything else, hunting could always be compared to a challenge of will. Grinning, the wild woman had immediately set out to the hunt at a light jog. The jog had quickly turned into a run. She effortlessly hurled herself through the air, performing a flip that was fueled with giddy energy. After so long alone she finally had some company. It was such a shame that the Windrider was in such sorry shape. Ororo wasn’t weak by any means, but she could tell that the older woman had lost some considerable weight.

She understood why the white-haired mutant was grieving. There was no question of that. However, she didn’t agree with the type of grieving. Who was she to judge though, really? She’d just up and run off when they’d lost Logan. She’d looked to the older man as a guild of sorts, exactly like a father figure. In truth, she had followed him around – hovering – as if she could protect him by always being there. She’d known what it truly meant…when his healing factor was lost. Logan’s lifespan had suddenly acquired a timer. There was no way for him to keep going without his healing factor. He was still smoking and drinking, but his body couldn’t easily fight off the toxic effects of his vices of choice. There was also the matter of him slowly being poisoned by the irradiated skeleton he possessed. Real stress and strain was put on his joints as they had to deal with the extra weight of metal bones.

In contrast, she’d never had the chance to develop vices. The scientists who raised her had done nothing more than torture her mentally and physically. Maybe it was done because they were angry at her for existing as she was. As far as she knew it, she should have considered herself lucky. Had she turned out to be what they truly wanted – a full male copy; the abuse would have been considerably worse. Gritting her teeth, she growled faintly. Thinking about her past always brought the worst out of her. When she was angry enough, she became a monster. Unthinking, unfeeling... a pure killing machine. She hated being like that. Having a short fuse and easily losing her temper was a problem she struggled with. As she grew older, she’d worked hard to gain a handle on her fury. Then there was still that trigger scent – issue –that needed to be dealt with.

Lightly gnawing on her bottom lip, she sighed in disgust. What was wrong with her really? Why was she focusing on this and not on things that really mattered? Feeding herself was usually a top priority, and her diet was highly comprised of meat. If she remembered right, Ororo wasn’t exactly the same. “Doesn’t matter.” She muttered. “She’ll be eating meat tonight.” Slowing up a little in the run, she turned her head, intently listening for any small sounds. Living out here hadn’t been so bad…but she was starting to miss being around people. All the same, she felt that people were safer when she wasn’t nearby.

That line of thinking was in stark contrast to the teachings of those scientists. They wanted her to seek, find, infiltrate and blend in. They wanted her to kill and love the thrill of pursuit. Early in her training, she’d been told that her father had loved fighting and violence. She was supposed to emulate him, and that misinformation had catapulted her forward into the woman she was today. She’d lost much of her humanity over the years, but she’d figured that there hadn’t been much there to begin with. Nothing at all. She was bred to be a weapon and a weapon she would be. So, imagine her surprise when she found out that her father wasn’t at all what she’d been told.

She was still angry over all of the lies. So many opportunities…and chances gone. Stolen away. What she could have _become_ had been stripped. Her future. So much could have been done to truly _make_ her more human. Instead, her affection and love had been used against her. She’d had love beaten out of her. Half closing her eyes, she drew in a deep breath and slowed her run to a light jog and then ducked down into the brush. Focusing so much on the negative wasn’t going to help her find food. Lightly licking her lips, she carefully studied the area she’d found herself in. After so long out there, she’d developed a good understanding of the terrain and was even learning the patterns of the nighttime animals. A faint sound captured her attention. Growing still, she listened. Something was shuffling nearby.

If she caught a deer, that would be absolutely terrific. She didn’t mind eating her food raw, but she knew that it wouldn’t be good for Ororo to eat raw meat. For that reason, she built the fire…also for some warmth. It was getting pretty cold at night. _Maybe after a night of rest, she’ll be willing to tell me why she came out here._ Not that she thought that Ororo was looking for her. No one was and for once, she was able to breathe a sigh of relief. “You are so fortunate I was doing patrols tonight.” She grumbled under her breath. There was no one she was on the run from, so the patrols were pretty useless. They were really just long walks she went on for exercise and to clear her head. Hearing more shuffling, she moved closer to the ground and peered through the bush. A faint groan reached her ears then, something that sounded like a growl or… _A bear. Great._ It was roaming through the same woods as she was, looking for food. Unfortunately, now it was switching its orbit to intercept her location.

It ambled closer and closer.

This could be bad. The creature could carry any sort of disease and be able to spread it. A black bear could claw her up and gut her if it managed to get the right angle. A very slow, predatory grin crossed her lips. On the other hand… the bear was a lot of meat, most of it muscle. She half smirked. She’d be able to carry a good portion of it back to the cave and butcher it into steaks. She didn’t mind scavengers finding and eating what she left behind. She was only taking what they’d need. Lightly pursing her lips, she considered exactly what it was that her temporary ‘roommate’ needed.

Another possibility came to mind then. Was anyone looking for Ororo? _No kidding they are!_ She wanted to smack herself in the head at the foolish thought. It was almost certain that the entire team was out looking for the white-haired mutant. _They should be here soon._ She wasn’t upset, but wondered if she would be left alone out here again.

It never occurred to her that they had erred, and their original point of direction might no longer be valid. The sound of crunching leaves reached her, along with heavy breathing. Looking up she noted that her cover was being pushed aside. Features twisting, she hissed furiously at the bear – growling at the end. Startled, the bear backed up as it assessed the situation. She was tiny compared to it, yet she intentionally made eye contact with it and was the first to show aggression. Not one to be cowed, the bear roared out its displeasure. The grin on her lips reformed, stretched wider than before.

“Much obliged.” She said, taking the initiative. Black bears were mostly harmless. _Too bad…_ Poised still in a crouch, she lowered both arms to the ground. A pained hiss was heard then as four bone claws… two per hand, coated in adamantine slid from their homes in her arms. A spurt of blood on the ground followed their descent. A second roar came from the bear, and it was she who attacked first. _Can’t say everyday isn’t a chance for adventures._

_Xavier Institute – Medical Lab_

Hank spent a very long time, staring at the doors to the lab. His advanced hearing informed him that the Blackbird was indeed powering up. Lowering his head, he sighed and glanced over his shoulder at Emma’s slumbering form. He’d carefully pulled one of the freshly sanitized and warmed medical blankets over her to keep her comfortable. Two and a half hours. Two hours of which Scott had time to rethink his ill-conceived plan. At least six or seven hours had passed since Ororo had left the mansion. Scott saw no need to taken the time necessary – to explain what his plans were to Hank before leaving. He hadn’t had the decency to tell anyone that his idea of a covert operation involved only informing minimal outside help. Everyone believed that Scott had alerted several mutant allies and everyone was meant to rendezvous – with transportation. _Everyone_ knew that the school was under periodic surveillance, and outside aid would help them keep the details of the mission a secret. No one needed to alert the media, and an unmarked vehicle would have done them wonders.

Now the rescue team would be traveling in an aircraft that was known to be associated with the X-Men, with mutants that were well-known to the government. And how pray tell had anyone handled the reports of a sudden massive storm on Mount Marcy, when there should have been no adverse weather there at all? From what he’d heard, there had been what almost accounted for a category two hurricane with resulting flash flooding that affected the region below the mountainside. Instead of any responses, the school had remained stubbornly silent on the entire ordeal. All of them knew who was behind that, but none of them wanted to acknowledge it. Lowering his head into his hands finally, Hank shuddered. He didn’t want to think about what the humans would assume. It wasn’t as if their location wasn’t known. Worse…the fact that they had not said anything at all would immediately cast a cloud of suspicion on them. Hurricanes weren’t normal in certain places, least of all Marcy. Mutants were in the area, and they had a very prominent mutant named Storm who could produce…storms. “Oh bother.” He finally grumbled. Hearing a faint stirring behind him, he looked over his shoulder once more.

“You’re still here.” Emma almost seemed to purr, a faint smile on her lips. Her head was slowly turning in his direction, but her eyes were shut still. One of Hank’s brows rose inquisitively, wondering exactly how she knew he was there. “Heard the argument earlier…didn’t hear you leave.” She offered at the sudden silence. Her brows furrowed, as if she were in pain and then smoothed quickly. “That is…at least I don’t think you left. If so, I’m going to keep talking anyway. I always did like the sound of my own voice.” Now, he laughed softly and rose from his seat. “See! I knew you were there!” Her faint smile pleased him beyond words.

“How are you feeling, Emma?” His footfalls were easily heard as he stepped over to her. Her jovial expression dimmed just a bit, and he frowned in response. “Emma?” He reached down and took one of her hands. “Talk to me, please. We all can’t read minds, you know.” She moved her head a bit in a semblance of a nod, and her smile grew sad.

“The headache is still there.” Her voice was considerably softer now. She seemed very much at ease with Hank, in relating just how badly she felt. Maybe it was because that as a scientist and a physician, he had to be impartial. That couldn’t be all of it though because Hank was compassionate regardless. Something else about him helped her lower the barriers that she used to keep others at bay. “It’s…pretty bad. So bad… I don’t understand why I can’t open my eyes.” His brows wrinkled in thought.

“If the headache is becoming worse, I can lower the lights in here if it will help. We can look into a stronger painkiller for you to ease it.” As he moved to do just that, he felt her tug on his hand.

“No... I mean I can’t open my eyes. At all. It’s almost like I can’t use the muscles needed.” Alarmed, Hank gently extracted his hand from hers.

“One moment, Emma. Let me take a look and see what the problem is.” He leaned away from her to grab his pen light from on top the stack of notes he’d been working on when Scott came in earlier. Using care, he carefully elevated the head of her bed and leaned over her then. Reaching into a box near the bed, Hank extracted a fresh pair of gloves that his claws wouldn’t cut through. “This might sting a little, my friend. Let me know if it hurts too much.” Carefully lifting the lid of her left eye, he nearly dropped his pen light at what he saw. The veins in her eye were pronounced, throbbing and pulsing as if something was moving within them. He was speechless, having to shake his head a moment to convince himself he was truly seeing what was before him. Upon closer inspection, he noted that thankfully nothing truly was moving inside of the eye, but the normally white sclera was a deep shade of pink…close to the color of blood. If the veins themselves weren’t so engorged, he wouldn’t have been able to see them so easily at all.

“Hank?” Emma’s tentative voice called out. “I… I can’t see.” He could hear the confusion, tinged with distress in her voice. “Just how bad is it?” He gave her a puzzled frown, studying the pupil closer and noticing that it wasn’t responding to light as it should have. Instead of shrinking away in response to the light, it was dilated…and fixed. Worry and anxiety began trickle in. Uncertainty began to sink like a stone in his gut. Just _what_ was causing Emma to lose her vision? The blue furred man was gentler still with her right eye. He grimaced, noticing that the right eye looked worse. He hadn’t been certain how it was possible at first, but the eye itself was darker both in hue and that particular pupil was absolutely immense. With the left eye, he’d still been able to see some of the blue iris. Swallowing hard, he schooled his features. He had to try to remain as calm as possible. No need to scare Emma.

“I’m still trying to assess that, Emma. Do not worry.” _At least not yet._ He thought with frustration. How exactly was he supposed to test her for visual acuity? His mind raced as he thought of the possible conditions she could have that caused this. Traumatic brain injuries…strokes…certain diseases… Tensing his jaw, he lightly shook his head. The headache that she’d mentioned… “Emma. I’m going to call one of our friends down here to take a look.” Gloved hands shaking a bit as he pulled away from her, he didn’t let her get a word out before he was rushing out of her room. Barreling through the door of his office, he hurried to the communicator laying on his desk and almost crushed it in his grip. “Josh, are you there. Please respond!”

“Hank?” Emma croaked softly after the scientist left. Unfortunately, there was no one there to hear her. Groaning, she grabbed both sides of her head. The pain that she’d been dealing with since she’d strapped herself into Cerebro had only exacerbated over the last hour, progressing from an ache to blinding pain. It was worsening to the extent that she worried she wouldn’t be able to speak soon. As it was, very little noise escaped her open mouth, as if she’d suddenly lost any control over her vocal cords. Her face was twisted into a visage of agony. Bright red blood was beginning to slowly trickle from her right nostril, but she couldn’t notice it – awash in crippling anguish.

A/N: Whew! Thank you so much for taking the time to read this. Let me know what you think! I love constructive criticism! – J. Lyst


	6. What You're Made Of

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Is… Are you injured?” Ororo's pale blue eyes widened when she noticed the woman’s face was liberally covered with fresh blood. It wasn’t limited to her face alone… She was literally covered in blood from head to toe. She was hunched over a bit, something being held in suspense over her shoulders. “What happened to you?!” The effort of holding herself upright was proving itself to be too much. Beads of sweat popped up on her brow as she began to feel feverish again. The green eyes locked on her rounded, widening in alarm. 
> 
> “No. I’m fine. Stay right there.”

**Disclaimer:** I don’t own any part of the X-Men, none of the characters or franchises. However, if there are any original characters, those are totally mine.

**Warnings:** Gore. Stinky gore.

**Triggers:** There is a mention of habits that could be seen as the beginnings of an eating disorder. Please avoid if you are uncertain how reading will affect you.

Open Arms

By Juliette Lyst

What You’re Made Of

_The Woods_

Several things were going wrong right now. For one, the small woman was beginning to feel hot from exertion. She was sweaty too and her future dinner for some foolish reason kept fighting her. It was almost as if the bear wanted to live or something. She’d already been flung into a tree once, and in the back of her mind worried if she could have possibly cracked a rib or something else. There was no time for her to lament her own foolishness before the animal struck again, missing her merely by inches as she forcefully flung herself away from its claws. To some people, bears were simple creatures…however to the enlightened, the animal were far more. They were downright _clever_. If the bear had been fighting for a mate, she would have been doomed. Unfortunately for it, the creature in its forward swing had left its belly wide open and within reach.

Were she another bear, there would be little risk because all of them had the same tools to fight with. She wasn’t a bear though. A feral grin slowly slid over her lips, replacing the pained expression she’d had before. She was a top predator, no matter her size, and was soon going to be higher on the food chain than this beast. Doing her best to ignore the pain in her back and sides, she dove directly under the bear –landing near its groin -- and stabbed skywards with her claws, goring the furry beast right in the belly. Not unexpectedly, it tried to fight her off. Kicking her legs up, separate bone claws erupted from her straightened feet. These claws she rammed directly into the bear’s eye, feeling the impact as she punched through flesh and into bone. The bear let out a final groan and collapsed.

Unfortunately – it landed right on top of her.

Now, she was the one moaning. _Oh, by the love of us all…why did I have to get the fat one?!_ Not that her mental thought was fair, but the dead animal was _crushing_ her. Tensing her muscles and strengthening her resolve, she pushed herself forwards and up. The foul odor that sudden filled the air informed her – as if she needed a reminder – that she was cutting straight through the bear’s innards. Once she was able to straighten her right hand, she retracted the claws, then strained under the weight as she hurried to straighten out her left arm enough to pull the claws back in.

Sweat was cascading down her in rivulets, her brows pinched together so tightly, it was a wonder they didn’t join into one on her forehead. Her jaw was clenched so tight that she worried she was going to grind down her teeth while fighting against near overwhelming amounts of pressure. _Why did I ever have this stupid idea that I could fight a bear?_ She lamented. Her hunting trip had become nearly a suicidal excursion. If not for feeding her friend in the cave, she would have waited another night.

_At The Cave_

While waiting for her savior to return, the Stormrider had plenty to think about. The knowledge that she’d drained her physical reserves to the extent that she was unable to harness her own powers was very humbling and frightening. She wasn’t as strong as she’d believed herself to be. She was just stumbling along right now, just as she had at the mansion. She had done a poor job of caring for herself. At the mansion, she was in pain – still suffering over the unexpected loss of her lover, worried for her friends even more so now that she had time to consider them. Ororo had needed time to fully collect her thoughts and after her new friend left the cave… what better time? Now that she thought about it, she had a lot of questions about the small woman too. Who was she? The woman’s hair was so wild – and it was so dark that Ororo was unable to see her face, but she knew that she’d been easily carried to the cave. Nothing about that was normal.

Something about that voice had been unnervingly familiar, grunts and all. It bothered the white-haired mutant that she was unable to remember where the strange familiarity lie. Looking down to study her toes, she noticed something else that looked familiar. There was a canteen resting beside her and lifting it, she removed the cap with a bit of a struggle. A tentative sniff told her that it wasn’t alcohol, at least not one that she could smell. The sloshing sound inside it was promising, still she sipped from it tentatively. The lukewarm water inside the canteen made her feel marginally better. “I hope the child does not mind.” Calling a grown woman – a child – could have been construed as an insult, but she meant no offense.

To her though, the woman was a child. Considering what had already occurred, she had to rethink that. “No… Not a child. The woman.” She finally admitted to herself. Giving into her body’s desires, she took another sip from the canteen before screwing it shut again. Ororo didn’t want to take all of the woman’s water. Her vision was beginning to sharpen, no matter the blow she’d taken to the head. More of the cave was becoming visible to her now, and she was pleasantly surprised to find that she’d been propped up against a series of furs.

As her gaze drifted over to the flames, more questions about her new companion swirled around in her mind. At first, the woman had presented herself as someone who could barely speak more than a few words. She quickly moved from that to sentences. _Was it even the same person?_ The Stormrider really couldn’t be that sure. There was a possibility that she’d never get the answer to the dual personalities on display. The only thing that Ororo understood was that this strange woman knew who she was.

Maybe she’d heard of the weather controlling mutant somehow?

How was that even possible out here though? As far as Ororo knew there was no electricity in the cave. _She came from somewhere… But where?_

_The Blackbird_

During the flight, awkward silences punctuated with occasional beeps from the control consoles dominated. Scott, piloting, was unbelievably grateful for that.

Piotr sat in the co-pilot’s sea, his focus on the terrain under them. The metal man glanced once at Kitty as he’d entered the jet, determined afterwards to keep his focus ahead. Emma’s coordinates were programmed into the system’s navigation. Now, all that they needed to do was find Ororo. Piotr allowed his attention to shift briefly from the treetops to Scott, but he remained silent. Scott was already under enough pressure, there was no need to add to his distress.

Scott was at war with himself, questioning why he’d been so foolish earlier and wasted so much time. He swallowed hard, once then twice, but his mouth still felt dry. He was doing his best to keep ‘Finding Ororo’ as his focal point. There was a possibility that his friend had still been on the move too…which was going to make their ‘missing person’ search a bit trickier.

Kitty shifted around where she was strapped into her seat next to Warpath. Her shock at seeing the tall apache man had been plainly visible on her face. There were so many things that she wanted to ask now that she was next to him in the flesh. One of her questions was over what had ultimately led to the split between him and the X-Men. Not that she was going to complain even the smallest amount that he was there now, because they needed all the help that they could get. Past experience had taught her that prying was rarely a good idea, which made her wonder what everyone really thought about Emma. The telepath was powerful and highly intelligent.

If she was honest with herself, Kitty would openly admit that she wondered at the validity of that so-called intellect. How much of Emma’s knowledge was from true education and how much of it was taken from others? They had a young man at the school who possessed genius-level intellect. He’d lost his powers, but the knowledge remained in his head. He never probed people for what he wanted to know, preferring to learn on his own. Kitty wondered what Emma truly knew…about all of them. What did she know of their hopes and dreams? What did she know of their heartache or worse…their fears? Did she know their deepest fears?

The White Queen was unlike Xavier. He always asked permission before diving through the thoughts of others. The sensation of his mental probing wasn’t unpleasant, thankfully. Delving deeply into minds, he had explained, was more painful than skimming what was merely on the surface. Emma on the other hand, took and never asked.

Her habit of doing that unnerved Scott when she’d first joined them. He’d had no problem voicing his displeasure. She’d shown off her ability to skim thoughts, doing it callously during the height of a heated argument.

Emma actually argued her own point, then spat out what Scott was about to say before he had a chance to. That had been an indicator that the road they were all on was going to become very difficult from then on.

“I know what you’re probably wondering.” Warpath spoke softly, breaking Kitty’s reverie. He was in the window seat and was observing the night sky. A faint smile crossed his lips as he studied the stars. As a child, he often wondered who or what could have been up there. Now that he knew, he wondered how much of his child-like self was lost. His innocence was certainly long gone. “You want to ask what brought me back, but don’t know how to say it...right?” After a moment, he turned and faced Kitty. “Aren’t you, Katherine?”

Kitty’s brows furrowed at his question. _Of course_ she wanted to know why he was back. She wanted to know why he ever left. Soundlessly, she nodded. He laughed softly.

“There is no need to be wary around me, my friend.” Warpath was understandably more at easy around Kitty. She was a gentle soul and hadn’t been behind him losing so much of himself. “I received a message from… Hank, is it?” He asked. At her nod of affirmation, he resumed speaking. “Yes. Hank called. He informed me that one of my dearest friends was in trouble. However…” Now, a strange note hardened his words. “He did not explain to me who was leading the rescue mission.” His gaze wandered over to the two men piloting the jet.

Kitty pursed her lips. The questions seemed to multiply.

“I was given no true specifics. All that he told me was that Storm was in trouble.” Thankfully, his voice had softened. He offered Kitty a sad half-smile. “Ororo gave me my blades… It would be a mockery if I didn’t use them to help in her time of need.”

_To use them for once for good…_ He thought darkly.

Kitty’s head bobbed in response, her gaze wandering to her booted feet. “I feel like this is my fault.” She was unaware how Warpath jerked in his seat in reaction to her words. “She was right there, needing help. Instead…I thought I was doing the right thing and left her alone.” Blinking hard a few times, Kitty shook her head. “I could have prevented all of this.” Noting Warpath’s intense stare then, her shoulders sagged.

“I feel Katherine…” Choosing his wording carefully took some effort. His Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat as he swallowed. “I feel as if you are leaving something out.” Soulful, misty brown eyes stared up at him. He wanted to hug her then, to help ease the very visible burden that she carried on her slender shoulders. _Did she tell anyone else about this?_ He wondered. He doubted it was even possible for the smaller woman to harm Storm at all, so there was obviously more to what she said. Their position in the air kept him from unstrapping himself. He had long concluded that time away from the X-Men had led to him being more observant.

He wasn’t blind either. He had noticed the lingering stare that Piotr gave her, before noticing him. Once the metallic man met his eyes, Piotr looked away quickly. He’d looked guilty, as if caught doing something wrong. Warpath was pretty sure that the sight of him comforting Kitty would appear improper to the other man. He didn’t understand the specifics of what was going on between him, but there was an inkling there.

“I was…” Kitty lightly lifted her left shoulder. “In my room earlier… with Ororo.” Warpath’s eyes begged her to continue. “She wasn’t well…hadn’t been for some time. She looked so tired and thin.” Kitty shook her head. “I’m not even sure when she’d last eaten. I suppose we were all too distracted to notice…” Her voice quivered then. “I’m pretty sure she hasn’t eaten in over a week.” As she spoke, her timbre had changed… She was close to a whisper, feeling awful as she uttered the words that were haunting her now. It was almost as if… she was violating something sacred by speaking her thoughts aloud. Kitty was uncertain if she was the only one who had noticed the changes in their leader. Maybe she was the first one willing to acknowledge them.

It wasn’t as if the mansion was empty at breakfast. Everyone saw that Ororo wasn’t there eating breakfast, lunch and dinner. Ororo had either pushed her food around until she was certain she could escape the table, or would just avoid group mealtimes. Maybe everyone assumed she ate elsewhere. It was ridiculous…because Storm rarely left the mansion at all. “I took her to my room. She was so weak that I had to help her up the stairs. She’d just been outside in some sort of rain shower…” Kitty bit her bottom lip. “When she came in, Ja – Jimmy… she looked so lost.” Katherine hadn’t been alone in her unease when Ororo dragged her drenched body through the front doors.

“I was the only one who – umm…” How could she word things… so that it was less obvious that she’d been the only one who did anything right then? Everyone else attempted to melt into the floor, turning a blind eye to the situation. After a long pause, Kitty gave up, her shoulders sagging. “Umm… I asked her to sleep in my room. She was weak, or so it seemed. I don’t even know how she managed to fly out my bedroom window, but she did.”

“I don’t understand.” Warpath began. He frowned. “How is any of that your fault, Katherine? You didn’t open the window and shove her out of it.” He didn’t object to her calling him Jimmy either. “All that you did for Ororo was offer your help. You can’t blame yourself because she didn’t wish for it.” Kitty shook her head.

“No. That’s not it.” Kitty leaned back against the headrest. “Ororo wanted help, she just didn’t know how to ask. Maybe… I don’t know… It’s possible that she felt we would see her as less if we saw her being more – umm…” Kitty’s right hand unconsciously spun around a bit in the air as she grasped for the right word. “Human. She would have been seen as more human.” Her words came out a bit stiff. It sort of fit though. Ororo had always needed periods alone to herself, especially considering her problems with claustrophobia. _She’s never truly been the goddess that everyone else claimed her to be._ It wasn’t fair, but true. Even though Xavier had convinced Ororo that her abilities were better spent saving mutant and humankind, she had not abandoned the moniker of ‘weather goddess’.

“For Storm, the mutant, showing intense emotions can be pretty dangerous.” Kitty had heard of a massive tropical storm in the mountain range Ororo had recently returned from earlier today. “If I’m honest, I wasn’t at all sure what to do. I thought that time alone in a safe place would give her peace.” The frown on Warpath’s face was puzzling then.

“You just told me that Ororo had gone somewhere and came back a complete wreck?” He queried. “Why did you think she wouldn’t go back outside if you weren’t there to keep her still.”

Even now, Kitty remembered Ororo’s chaste reprimand. She shook her head lightly in denial. “Ororo’s an adult. She’s been one far longer than I have. She can take care of herself. At least…” Now Kitty’s gaze lowered. “At least I thought she could care for herself.” The curly haired woman knew that Ororo should have returned to the mansion hours ago – as long as something hadn’t gone wrong. It _had_ though. Something bad had happened and now everyone on the Blackbird had to face the reality that they might not like…

…What they find…

_The Cave_

The body proved time and time again that it had a sense of humor. In times of distress, one’s body could force them into unconsciousness as a self-defense mechanism. It wasn’t always a good thing, but it did happen. So this was what Ororo wanted to claim happened to her. What truly occurred was that inactivity and exhaustion finally caught up with her and before long, she was dozing against the furs. For the first time in a long time… she was sound asleep. Maybe it was a combination of the smells in the cave – the heady musk mixed with the warmth of the fire that finally put to rest the tempest in her mind.

No nightmares assailed her, and she was at peace. The only thing that roused her was the sounds of _very_ heavy breathing and the cloying stench of copper. Barely able to move, Ororo rose to her elbows with considerable effort and struggled to pull herself away from the entrance of the cave. If what she could hear was a person coming to rob the cave, they would be sorely disappointed. There was no hidden cache of treasures to be found here. Only warmth and comfort. If only she could access her powers… Unfortunately, she still couldn’t summon a breeze.

The white-haired mutant was halfway past the fire, when she heard a now familiar voice call out. “Now, whatcha think you’re doing all the way over there? You’ll mess up that leg again!” More of the stink of fresh blood filled the cave and Ororo was beginning to understand – with shock – that the smell was coming from the woman. Her friend was panting lightly after her brief speech and Ororo pushed herself up into a seated position, swallowing down a moan from the effort.

“Is… Are you injured?” Her pale blue eyes widened when she noticed the woman’s face was liberally covered with fresh blood. It wasn’t limited to her face alone… She was literally covered in blood from head to toe. She was hunched over a bit, something being held in suspense over her shoulders. “What happened to you?!” The effort of holding herself upright was proving itself to be too much. Beads of sweat popped up on her brow as she began to feel feverish again. The green eyes locked on her rounded, widening in alarm.

“No. I’m fine. Stay right there.” Hurrying to the fire, she dropped to a knee and dropped the load that she carried. “You’re the one injured here.” She needlessly reminded Ororo. “You fell, landed pretty hard too from how badly injured you are.”

“What…” Ororo swallowed, her nose scrunching the slightest amount. “What did you find out there to hunt?” The question was asked casually, but the Stormrider was almost certain that she knew the coming answer. The rolled up black hide wasn’t in the woman’s hands when she’d left…so she had used the skin of whatever she’d killed to bring the meat back with. The white-haired mutant didn’t eat meat often, but she wasn’t opposed to it. The hide looked faintly familiar. It was dark, the fur looked lush and extraordinarily thick.

“Bear. Big one…all teeth and claws.” _And a right fatty._ She thought with a grimace. Off Ororo’s horrified stare, the wild woman smirked. “I skinned that bad boy and used it to bring back plenty of meat for us.” She shrugged casually, still the focus of Ororo’s bewildered gaze. Lightly flexing her fingers then, she flicked a bit of flesh off her shoulder into the fire.

“How did you…kill it?” The young woman before her, in a bloodstained t-shirt and shorts looked less dangerous than the mosquitoes that they dealt with in the summer.

“My…size is deceptive.” Shrugging again and wincing as the careless motion this time caused a twinge in her sides, she responded in simple words.

Ever observant, Ororo narrowed her eyes. “You were hurt.” The other woman waggled a hand, dismissing it and straightened her spine to show that she was perfectly fine. “Please… I know you helped me. Allow me to return the favor.” The offer, as heartfelt was swiftly rejected with a firm headshake.

“You should see the other guy.” She quipped, pointing to the bear’s hide. “Me though… S’nothing. Don’t worry about it.” Then, she placed both bloodstained hands on her own back and wiggled her hips a little…trying to feel how the bones in her back and lower ribs felt. There was still a lingering ache, but nothing indicating a break or fracture in her back. She wouldn’t have been able to come home otherwise with so much meat. _Home…_ Had the cave become that to her now? Lips tightening into a thin line, she became lost in thought for a moment. There was much that needed to be done…

“Give me a moment to gather myself, and I’ll start roasting this.” Turning her back to Ororo, she removed her shirt and stalked back outside the cave again. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she jogged a quarter mile downhill and found a river she frequented. Not having the time or energy for a bath, she dove in…scrubbing as much of the drying blood off herself as she could. Weighed down by waterlogged clothing, she dragged herself out of the river. There was still blood on her, but at least she wasn’t caked in it. Kneeling on the bank, she carefully scrubbed her shirt – trying to rid it of crusted on blood. A faint noise reached her ears… something alien and completely out of the ordinary for this place.

Wringing her shirt out, she pulled it back on and sprinted back to the cave. Upon reentry, she noticed that Ororo had managed to get closer to the fire and was trying to study the bear’s remains without directly touching them. “I assure you, it’s completely dead.” Ororo jumped at the sound of the other woman’s voice. Twisting her upper body to look, her eyes widened.

Now that her savior was soaked from head to toe, her hair as slicked back from her face. Recognition hit Ororo like a lightning bolt. “…Laura. Is that you?” Grinning sheepishly, her companion waved her right hand.

“Hey ‘Roro. How’s things?” Blinking a little, Ororo gestured to her injured leg and looked around the cave. “Still the same, it seems.” Ororo rolled her eyes at that, eliciting a sharp burst of laughter from Laura. The younger woman pulled over a few sturdy sticks. Her gaze grew pensive. “I know that you’re upset that I didn’t say who I was earlier… I had my reasons for that.” Her jaw worked then, as she remembered the sound she’d heard outside. “Not that it truly matters now…” She turned her attention on the cave entrance, but the thick stone around them had silenced much of the noise outside. “Hate to say it, Roro…” The Windrider frowned faintly.

“We’re going to have to eat and run… I really wish I had time to smoke all of this meat at least, but there’s not enough time for that.” Reaching for a crudely cut hunk of meat, she firmly held it in place with her left hand and straightened out her right. One of her claws popped out and she used it to expertly slice the meat into easily managed sections. Spearing the meat with the sturdy sticks she’d collected earlier…she shoved the meat directly into the fire. “I don’t have dinnerware.” Laura explained. “So, you’ll have to eat with your hands. There’s plenty of extra sticks to hold the meat with.”

Ororo never had a reason to question Laura’s cooking abilities…but she saw herself with some qualms now. Wary eyes watched as Laura pulled the meat a little further from the fire after that initial thrust directly into the flames. With the brief lull in conversation, something else that Laura said registered. “Why do we have to leave all of a sudden?” The Windrider wasn’t certain of how much time had passed – since she’d left the mansion – due to her injuries, and was especially uncertain of how long she been in the cave.

Moving from a mild squat to sitting back on the cave floor, Laura yawned widely and looked to Ororo. “Heard something when I was near the river.” She tapped herself behind one of her ears. “Superb hearing, remember?” She was nearly a complete copy of Logan. “Something is coming in our direction, but I’m not sure what it is.” She shook her head. “I don’t recognize the sound.” She wondered also if it was friend or foe. Twisting a little where she sat, she reached forward toward the meat and adjusted where it sat so it would cook more evenly. The companionable silence spread from there, lingering for some time.

Soon enough, the meat was done cooking. Ororo had nodded off again and despite the reluctance, Laura gently nudged the older woman to awaken her. “Dinner is ready.” Sticks to hold the food had already been collected and prepared. She still warned: “Be careful. It’s hot.”

\--

**A/N:** Thanks so much for reading! I'd like to thank In2lalaland for helping me with this chapter! My updates to the previous chapters might be delayed. Apologies in advance!

Let me know what you think! I like constructive criticism. ~ J. Lyst


	7. Hold On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The smaller woman snorted at that, dropping down to sit on the cave floor. She wasn’t exactly sure how to answer that question. She knew the other reason she was out here. A voice that she’d found herself fortunate to just ‘be’ around was forever silenced. She had lost her biggest supporter when Logan died.

**Disclaimer:** I don’t own X-Men. But I wish I did. I hope you enjoy!

 **Warnings:** None.

 **Triggers:** None.

Open Arms

By Juliette Lyst

Hold On

“ETA is less than thirty seconds.”

Those on board breathed a sigh of relief at Scott’s words.

To be on the safe side, he had circled around the space around the coordinates twice at far reduced speeds. He was unable to see anything and figured it was time to land. He had a feeling that no one wanted to stay in the cramped seats too much longer. The trip had not taken that long. In an effort to avoid detection, the trip was at higher altitudes.

He found it a little difficult to find just the _right_ spot to land, but he accomplished it. “All clear, everyone,” he spoke up, having completed the landing procedures. As long as Ororo was located – they’d be back in time for bed. He tried hard not to remember his misstep. He’d allowed his fear of the unknown to impact his reasoning.

He prayed that Ororo wasn’t the one who had to pay for his lapse in judgement.

After stepping out of the Blackbird, Megan spoke up. “This is the place, right?” She, along with some of the others turned to Scott.

Grimly, he nodded. A line of trees was easily in their view. He struggled to remember if there was anything significant to where they were. “This was all that we could get from Emma. We need to split into two group. The first group is going to canvas the front, sides and back of these woods; the second group will move in further – then double back.”

Marie nudged through the small crush of bodies over to Kitty and Jimmy, offering a toothy grin. “Ah think tha three of us should work together. With Warren,” as she spoke, she intentionally linked arms with Kitty and Jimmy. She figured that the four of them had the best chances of quickly finding Ororo.

Warpath’s abilities mirrored Wolverine’s…if she remembered correctly.

Hesitating briefly, Scott nodded in acquiescence. Had he relented to Marie earlier, they would have completed the search and rescue already.

“Of course. Everyone else, we’re going to move in deeply. Make sure your communicators are working. We do not want to lose anyone out here,” he spoke. He wasn’t able to suppress a flinch at the frosty glare that Marie leveled on him. _I deserve that…_ He thought with a grimace.

Without another word, Marie led her significantly smaller group off to the side They only made it twenty feet before Warpath spoke.

“Hold.”

Moving to the front of the group, he held up his left hand. He could readily see indentations in the grass ahead of them, along with an unusual break in the tree line. Stepping further from the trees, he approached the indentations, then glanced up to his left. There, he could more fully view the break in the trees. “Oh no…”

Concerned, Marie stepped around him. “Wha—”

Wordlessly, Warpath lifted his left arm and pointed. “Something – big – came down here. We need to be very careful.” He wasn’t sure how the group would take his next statement. “We need to avoid using flashlights just yet…” His voice trailed off as he tracked the path of broken branches to the ground. He inhaled deeply and moved towards the trees.

The thick branches he’d spotted on the ground belonged to some of the taller trees there, but there were significantly smaller branches intermingling with them. These must have come from much further up. Examining closer, he noted some of the trees appeared to be missing a good portion of their upper halves.

He was grateful that his group were being particularly cautious and moving solely by moonlight. Spotting a massive pile of twigs, branches and leaves, he slowed his step. Sniffing, he took another step forward and both felt and heard a sudden wet squelch under his boot. Stepping back, he dropped into a crouch and reached down – noting that the grass underfoot was wet with a substance. His fingers felt slick after contact. Rubbing his fingers together, he noted that they felt tacky and stank of copper. “Marie,” he spoke, looking over his shoulder. “A moment?”

She stepped right behind him.

He lightly cleared his throat. “I need a bit of help here,” his voice was soft.

“What did you find, sug?”

He offered a weak smile, virtually invisible in the darkness. “Got a light,” he asked instead. He was able to make out her faint nod and heard a soft click before light was shining on the ground over his shoulder. “Over here.” The beam of light focused on his hand. His features grew taut as his suspicions were confirmed. Drying blood was right on his fingers, coating the grass in that area. He noted a strip of white cloth as well. Lifting it, he showed it to Marie.

He could see the shock bloom on her face.

“Oh mah,” she choked out. While not a definitive sign, Ororo _had been_ wearing a white shirt earlier in the day. Marie’s eyes began to well with tears. “Where…where is she,” she asked, her voice begging. All that she saw were signs that her friend _was_ in the area at one point, but no… body was located so far.

“Don’t allow yourself to get worked up yet,” Warpath began, trying to calm her down. “This doesn’t mean she’s dead. Injured is more likely than that. This is Storm we’re talking about,” he reasoned, rising to his feet. “She’s most certainly injured…unless something else came through here and smashed through all of these trees – from above.”

In his time with the X-Men, he could never recall a single instance in which Ororo had ever fallen out of the skies.

“An’ all the blood?” Marie questioned. She wasn’t surprised to hear the sudden gasp behind her as Kitty caught up to them to see what they’d found.

“Is…” The young woman’s voice was trembling. Kitty was standing beside Rogue, both hands at her mouth. Her eyes were wide with fear. “Is that what I think it is?”

“I promise you Katherine,” Warpath spoke in measured tones. “It is not as bad as it looks. Not with Ororo.”

He sincerely hoped that he wasn’t making that up. “Marie,” at this, he looked to her. “This isn’t that much, considering.” His brows pinched together, and he stepped around the bloodied pile of leaves, near where he thought the point of impact was.

“If you think about it,” he said to no one in particular. “It’s not much blood at all.”

“But…But she fell Jimmy! That doesn’t just _happen_!” Kitty’s exclamation came out in a hysterical shriek. Warren was too stunned to speak. “I know Storm. Storm does not fall!”

Slowly, as if in sympathy, Warpath shook his head. He waved Kitty over. “How can you explain all of this then,” he asked, gesturing to where they stood. “There are no tire tracks, no indication that any sort of flying aircraft came through here.”

Unable to respond to the question, Kitty held a clutched fist to her mouth and looked away.

The taller mutant was already mapping a mental pathway around the area they stood in. He was trying to figure out how Ororo had fled with a bleeding injury. His wandering gaze found another indentation in the ground… a print. Again, he waved Marie to him. Wordlessly, he indicated the spot he’d found.

“I got ‘cha,” she replied. She directed her flashlight right where he was pointing.

All of them leaned closer and noticed a perfectly formed series of coinciding hand prints along with what appeared to be drag marks.

Warpath pointed out where he noted a toe print as well. “Follow that straight ahead.”

Marie moved the flashlight as four sets of eyes followed it to a different tree. There was a more distinctive set of boot prints visible on the ground. They were all facing the tree, and as Marie moved the light to the right of it, everyone noted that the boots had come from that direction.

“Back the opposite way,” Warpath murmured, lowering to his knees after moving closer. “The prints got heavier here,” he gestured to the left of the tree. “As if the person wearing them had suddenly picked up extra weight.” Carefully climbing to his feet again, he studied what Marie’s flashlight had uncovered. “More blood here,” he murmured. He was careful to not step in it. “A considerable amount. I’d say that whoever owns these boots has Storm.”

Marie was even more worried. “Do ya thin’ he did anythin’ ta,” she was unable to finish the thought, not wanting to imagine something so heinous happening to their friend.

Warpath shook his head, indicating disagreement. “I think the person who picked up Ororo is a woman,” his eyes narrowed as he studied the trail, mostly hidden to his teammates, but clear as a bell to him now that he knew what he was looking for. “The heels are smaller than what you’d normally see in men’s boots.”

“Ah say we follow ‘em!” Marie stomped over to Warpath and handed him her flashlight. “Lead tha way, James!” Her words were accentuated with a heavy thump on his back.

Flushing faintly at the sudden attention, he nodded.

Lightly tapping on the communicator strapped to her chest, Marie spoke almost _cheerfully_ into the speaker. “Rogue to Cyclops!” A bit of static was audible for a moment as she waited for a response.

“Cyclops here. What did you find, Rogue?”

Marie swallowed, allowing a sigh to escape. “James found some tracks. We think she fell an’ someone found her.”

“We are going to be following the tracks to see where they go,” Warpath stated plainly.

There was a brief silence where Marie wondered if she had somehow lost the connection. Then, she heard Scott’s voice come through the communicator.

“She…fell? Are you sure?” His voice sounded hesitant. “I… We’ll catch up to you and then branch out our search again. Where are you located?”

Marie relayed where they were. She knew they would have to wait a few minutes to meet up again.

_The Cave_

“Do you think that sound in the area is _someone_?”

Laura glanced up from the bits of cooked bone she was slicing through with a claw. Somehow, she had managed to bring parts of the bear’s leg bones with her and had roasted them along with the meaty chunks she’d served up.

“I’m only asking because you said you heard something.”

Laura looked over from where she was crouched. “No clue what it was, only that it doesn’t belong out here,” she was pensive, finally successful in breaking through the center of the bones. “Going to finish your meat?” she asked. A faint smile appeared as she saw Ororo pop another piece of the bear meat in her mouth. “Very good. You’ll like this too,” she stated enthusiastically. She set half of the bone on one of the furs propping up her friend.

“I’ve had marrow before, Laura,” Ororo explained, lightly laughing at Laura’s expression. “There are restaurants that have marrow so tender you can easily suck it from the bones, depending on the type of meat you have,” Ororo offered a half smile. “I’ll take you to one of them after I’m recovered.”

Pausing, Laura ducked her head down. Yes… There was that. She didn’t want to admit that she’d enjoyed the time she had with Ororo. The white-haired mutant needed to return home though – to her friends and back to civilization. In contrast, Laura liked her life out here. Everything was simpler. There was nothing except the sounds of crickets to sing her to sleep at night. Laura also took pride in the fact that she was _still_ the top hunter there.

It was so easy to evade the scientists behind her creation.

“Laura?” When she didn’t respond, Ororo straightened up. She’d been able to neatly pick clean her marrow treat. “Is everything alright, child?”

The smaller woman snorted at that, dropping down to sit on the cave floor. She wasn’t exactly sure how to answer that question. She knew the other reason she was out here. A voice that she’d found herself fortunate to just ‘be’ around was forever silenced. She had lost her biggest supporter when Logan died. She quickly pulled on her boots and began lacing them up tightly. Pausing a moment, her gaze drifted towards the entrance of the cave again.

Hearing a faint scraping sound, her head whipped around and she spotted Ororo attempting to scoot over to her. Quickly bouncing to her knees, she scooted over to the white haired mutant – reducing the distance between them – and plopped down on her backside. “I’ll ask once more. Are you trying to break that leg again already?”

Ororo shook her head. She looked to her lap, her hands wringing before she lifted her head and looked directly at Laura. “No. You are in such pain. You understand that you can talk to me about what it is that bothers you… don’t you?”

The sudden outburst of laugher in response startled the Windrider.

“That’s… I haven’t heard that in a long time.” Laura looked down at the sudden question she could see forming in Ororo’s gaze. She drew her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. “Logan was… You know,” she winced. “He was my… Well,” the young woman was struggling. “He understood me anyway.” Laura looked away. “He understood everything that I had to go through,” her voice had softened.

The sudden silence from Ororo was profound, but Laura pushed herself to keep speaking.

After all, the older woman wanted to understand what bothered her, right?

“He always had good advice, and he was straight forward, you know?” Laura lightly shrugged with her right shoulder. “He didn’t tiptoe around anything – just gave it to you like it was. I _really_ miss him,” her voice had wobbled a little, and she cleared her throat for a moment in a sad attempt to mask the unevenness in her voice. “When he died I… I felt like part of me died right along with him.”

He died doing what he knew he had to, so Laura could find some vague solace in that. In his last moments, he still managed to stop a very evil man from completing the wicked goals he’d had.

She’d suddenly sunken so far into her own despair that she was alarmed to feel a pair of arms wrap around her. Stiffening, she was very grateful that she hadn’t reacted violently to the touch.

_Physical contact isn’t bad…_ She had to remind herself of this.

“Oh dear child,” Ororo crooned in Laura’s ear. “I am so sorry for you.”

Jerking at the words, Laura sniffled… returning the hug with only her left arm. Her body shuddered then, as Ororo didn’t immediately break the contact. Quietly, she began to sob. Laura, formerly known as X-23 because she was the only viable one to survive – had rarely if ever been held…except as a child. The woman who gave birth to her had tried to instill slivers of humanity into her.

She’d fought for Laura to have some semblance of a childhood. It hadn’t lasted long though; the brief bursts of kindness were accompanied by searing pain and horrible bouts of illness from whatever ‘treatments’ the scientists decided was best for her continued development.

Laura knew now – had been told – that she wasn’t just a weapon, not a trained killing tool. Though everyone around her aside from her ‘mother’ had told her the exact opposite.

She’d been abused: beaten when she failed, mocked when she cried and was given a very dangerous and deadly weakness in response to a particular smell. Staying out in the woods kept her away from people. Everyone was safer if she stayed out here.

“It is hard when one loses a parent,” Ororo continued, gently stroking the back of Laura’s head. “I am unsure if that was what James was to you child, but –”

Sniffing loudly then, Laura sighed. “No. You’re right,” she responded with a frown. Carefully pulling herself free, she wiped her eyes with the back of her left hand, wiping away the remnants of her crying. No sound would have betrayed that. One of the benefits of her horrible upbringing was her ability to cry in silence.

Her tormenters had known that she had Logan’s healing factor and enjoyed experimenting to figure out how quickly she could recover from injuries – like broken bones. “I’ve just never,” she hesitated. Her eyes darted to the cave entrance again, and she was becoming a little agitated. “I don’t understand what a ‘father’ is.” She sort of understood what a mother was, but the men that she dealt with gave her no indication of what a father was. “I’ve never had one.”

Ororo smiled at her kindly. “A father is a man who is in your life. He may not always be there as you grow, but he’ll be there to guide you along the way. Some fathers are completely absent from the lives of their children,” Ororo’s voice grew rough. “I saw Xavier as my father in a way. He rescued me from a life as a thief and a beggar on the streets. Though he was not the one who created me, he gave me some tough advices and life lessons,” her features were pensive. “He seemed like he would always be there, always helping and guiding us all. All that Xavier wanted was for humans and mutants to live together in peace.” Her tone changed as she continued.

“Unfortunately, there were and still are many who do not share his views,” she snarled, remembering the so called ‘Friends of Humanity’, as well as all of the other splinter groups who placed themselves on pedestals. They were – to themselves – the ‘sole saviors’ of the human race. In fact, their actions led to harm for many innocent lives.

There were children who were discovered as humans. Hearing of what happened to them hurt the Windrider the most. The loss of their innocence coincided with the loss of lives in far too many cases.

There were so many people who could have done wonderous things for the betterment of humans and mutants… had they been given a chance. Instead, they were cut down far before their prime.

“Well then,” Laura’s voice brought Ororo back to the present. “I suppose I could have called Logan my father. My completely unintentional, but still well-meaning father,” she stated. Carefully, she continued to work marrow from more of the bones.

“Yes… He was one of the better ones.” The words nearly caught in Ororo’s throat. Memories of pushing him away when he’d wanted to be closer pained her dearly now. Had she fit in his original plan to slow down and put down roots? Maybe it really had been _her_ that he wanted to settle with. Now…she would never know.

“Last bites?” Laura asked, setting more of the marrow down. Both women lapsed into silence, knowing that they were quickly running out of time.

_Medlab_

“Do you think stasis will be safe for her in her condition,” Hank asked carefully. He stood in the room with Josh, watching Emma as she floated in a tube filled with a viscus green fluid. A breathing apparatus was around her nose and mouth.

“I’m uncertain if she’ll be strong enough when she does wake up from all of this. We have to do what we can to slow it down,” Next to Hank, the golden skinned man pursed his lips, trying to understand it all. He was known to the team as Elixir, and once his skin had been completely golden all over.

A terrible act of violence with his powers had resulted in him being pitch black for some time. Now, he was more golden than not, which gave the furry blue mutant hope.

“The when also concerns me, Hank,” Josh was still carefully studying the still figure. When he’d made it to the lab, he saw Hank holding Emma and crying out for help. She was bleeding from the nose and eyes by then. Her mouth had been open in a silent scream, as if she was unable to make a sound.

Josh’s presence had calmed Hank enough to convince the scientist to move Emma to one of their stasis tanks.

Afterwards, Hank quietly excused himself to clean off the blood from his fur – trusting the telepath in his friend’s care.

“I can’t do much to help her right now,” The golden man frowned. “I’m not even sure what’s wrong with her.”

“She came in earlier complaining of a headache,” Hank offered, his voice trailing off. They were dealing in fact with two crises. Not many outside of those alerted even knew of the situation with Ororo. Between Kitty and Marie, both women urged everyone to keep what they knew to themselves. “Emma was in agony. Two of our students had to escort her here.” The knowledge still chilled him.

He’d grown more frightened when he learned of how she’d had to be separated from Cerebro. He didn’t want her going anywhere near that device again. He was glad that he’d stayed close to her and held Scott at bay. If he’d known ahead of time… His shoulders slumped. There was nothing that he could have done.

What could he do?

They needed a powerful telepath to find Ororo, and Emma was it. Emma’s experience before had been limited to those in close quarters. She had never used Cerebro before.

“Two students?” Josh tuned to Hank, both brows raised. “Was she able to stand on her own? What happened, do you know?”

Hank straightened up then, not liking what he was about to reveal. “She was strapped into Cerebro,” he said, noting the shock on Josh’s face but plowed forward. “She had to. It was for… a friend,” Hank swallowed thickly. “A friend who has been missing for hours now.”

Nodding lightly and sensing the need for additional discretion, Josh didn’t ask more. The young healer knew it would all be revealed to him soon enough. Now though, he faced one of his toughest cases with Emma. How was he supposed to heal a telepath that he wasn’t able to touch? Without being in suspended animation, Emma would resume bleeding almost immediately.

“That was,” he remarked. “Very thoughtful of her.” His expression softened as he gazed at the blonde through different eyes. He doubted anyone in the school had called Emma a friend though – save Hank. “Very much so. Dangerous, if she’d never used that device before.”

Josh looked to Hank curiously. “Did she have any other symptoms that you can recall?”

The golden hued mutant was trying to figure out if there was any sort of scan they could do on her safely – without causing additional harm. He was frustrated with himself as well. When darkness suffused him, he would lose confidence in himself. It still pained him…the memory that he’d used his powers to inflict ill on another instead of remove it. It was very depressing.

Josh never gave voice to the fear that lingered in his heart – that one day only the darkness would be what remained of him. He’d be a shell of a man. He quietly studied Emma’s face. She was truly beautiful, so he wondered what had been at the core of her drive to have been so cruel to others.

The desire to be rich couldn’t have been one of them. Maybe it was from her own overinflated sense of self-worth? From what he’d heard of her, she came from wealth… Yet she left it all. She hadn’t married into money, gaining wealth with her cunning and business savvy. She was… Fascinating. Yet, when he first met her, she’d been so callous and cold to him. To everyone.

Emma’s behavior would have been better understood if she’d been a toddler. Her actions had been immensely childish, her words fueled with unjustifiable hatred for them all. Her tone of voice had been almost as sharp as her tongue – not nearly as piercing as her words.

As he stood there observing the powerful and rich ‘White Queen’, Josh couldn’t help but notice how small she looked. Small and fragile. _Humans are like this…_ If he explored it further, mutants could be seen as exactly the same. When their powers failed, they became just as helpless as the humans that reviled them. Often, they were even more vulnerable… as many of them had grown complacent for many years.

“Yes,” Henry finally replied after a long moment of contemplation. His blond-haired friend turned to him and waited quietly. “The pain in her head was excruciating so I gave her medication to help her rest. After she woke up in the bed down here, I noticed something very odd about her eyes. She told me that she wasn’t able to open them and they looked so,” Hank’s voice failed him, and he shook his head. He’d never seen such an extreme case of vasodilation in the eyes from something that seemed to simple.

The silence stretched, and then he managed to speak again. “Her pupils weren’t responding to light either.”

Josh’s brows furrowed. “We need to see if we can scan her head,” he decided. Glancing at his dark hands, he clenched them into fists. He _hated_ not being able to directly help, but he would be able to use conventional healing methods. He raised a hand to stop Hank as the furry mutant was about to speak.

“Not right now. I’d say later…maybe in a day or two,” Medically induced suspended animation wasn’t something he was comfortable with, but inside the tank Emma was stable.

She could rest…and hopefully heal.

\--

**A/N:** I’m very late. I’m so sorry! Thank you so much for sticking around! I hope you liked the chapter! I’d love to hear what you think. I love constructive criticism! ~ J. Lyst


	8. Thick Or Thin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’m… I’m so sorry for all of this,” her voice was so soft, but Laura’s ears were easily able to pick up the words. “I never meant for any of it to happen. It wasn’t – It’s not fair to you.”
> 
> Instead of a verbal response, Ororo easily heard when her friend’s heartbeat picked up. Laura drew in a shaky breath, and held it for a moment. 
> 
> “Laura?” 
> 
> Instead of an immediate reply, the younger mutant cleared her throat.

**Disclaimer:** I don’t own X-Men! Sing along with me! “We don’t own X-Men, we only borrow it for fun! We just like the stories and wanted to make one!”

I hope you all enjoy!

**Warning:** Mild gore, only mild. One implied panic attack.

This chapter, along with the previous lacked beta input. I’m certainly looking for a beta. I need one. _Badly._ I can’t catch all of my own errors and typos alone. This chapter was delayed a week due to issues with editing.

**Trigger:** None.

Open Arms

By Juliette Lyst

Thick Or Thin

_The Woods_

“Hey guys!” The voice boomed through the communicator without warning.

Wanting to search a bit more, the foursome moved further into the woods. The sudden burst of sound in the night distracted Marie and she wasn’t paying attention. Her left foot became snagged by an upraised tree root. Yelping in alarm, she lost her balance, nearing smacking into Warpath’s back. The taller man spun and reached out, managing to catch her before she twisted her ankle. She gasped in relief, then stiffened in his arms.

“No Jimmy,” she began. “Let meh go. Don’t touch meh!”

Her voice was high and panicked. Her fear was understandable. Marie was able to absorb powers and memories from others. Time was a factor in how long she maintained physical contact with others. She always worried about killing the next person… and it made life difficult for her. She was always on guard. It was too risky for her to be otherwise.

“I will help you straighten up first,” he replied. “Don’t worry.” Helping her free her foot was a bit of a struggle at first as she tried to wrestle herself away from him. “Stop,” he yelled. “Stop fighting me!”

“Put meh down!” her scream tore through the night air.

“Calm down, Marie,” Kitty cried. The brunette rushed over to help with Marie. “It was an accident. You didn’t touch him! Let us help you!” Katherine found herself having to dodge a fist.

Their friend was deeply troubled. So many lives and memories had taken up residence inside Rogue’s body. She not only fought against her own abilities, but at maintaining her own personality. She’d indelibly been impacted by the presence of so many other ‘minds’ in her head.

Eventually, Warpath was able to forcibly restrain Marie long enough to untangle her foot. She was nearly limp in his arms, and he could feel her trembling.

“I’m going to let you go now, Marie,” he spoke quietly, not wanting to spook her further. “You’re safe. I’m not injured.”

Marie nodded faintly, wobbling a little when Warpath finally let her go. She took a step away, then wrapped her arms around herself, her fingers digging into her shoulders. She let out a shuddering sigh and lowered her head. When Kitty suggested she sit, she took the offer, plopping right down in the middle of the muddy ground.

Uncertainty flit through Katherine’s eyes but she tapped her communicator. “ShadowCat here. What have you got, Cy?”

There was a pause before Scott answered. “We found something out here,” his voice sounded off. “You might want to see this.”

Katherine frowned. _What did he run into?_ She wondered.

Noting her expression, Warren stepped closer and leaned down to speak into her communicator. “How bad is it?” he asked, warily. If needed, he had no problem lifting Kitty and flying the both of them over to where Scott and the second team were located.

“We took a different path to double back,” Scott was trying to dodge answering the question. “I can send over our current coordinates.”

Warren sighed. The boot prints they’d tracked led to rockier terrain.

From what Warpath had told them, there was a scattering of caves in the area.

How could they hope to check them all?

“Let me know if you received them,” Scott continued.

Warren was able to hear the sound of someone vomiting in the background, and knew it wasn’t Cyclops.

“It’s,” hesitation was audible in Scott’s voice then. “It’s bad. It’s not Storm, thank goodness. But… be ready.” He wasn’t known for sugar coating things, but his reaction was unusual. In his time with the X-Men, and then later on with the X-Force, he’d encountered and seen plenty of foul sights.

He’d also orchestrated many operations with that supposedly defunct team after claiming X-Force was no more. The truth was that X-Force still ran in the background. The missions had been gradually more dangerous as time went on. Few of the members remaining weren’t known for their mercy with their targets either.

What was the price for the weight of secrets he held? One could never be sure.

“It’s very dead,” said a hoarse voice through the communicator. The person coughed and cleared their throat.

“…Charming Iceman,” Scott’s voice was heard a moment later.

Warren frowned and looked at Katherine. She looked pale, and when he rested a hand on her left shoulder – he noticed that she was trembling. What were their options? He directed his gaze to where Marie still sat in the mud. The silence in their small group was stifling.

Two of them seemed rooted to the spot.

“Did you receive the new coordinates?”

Warren looked at the offending communicator and cut the connection. He noticed Warpath was holding up a tracker. Frowning, he looked at Katherine. He pulled her close into a hug. The winged mutant wondered what Scott and the group had found. “It wasn’t her,” he spoke gently. “We need to see what they found,” He looked down at Katherine.

The curly-haired mutant nodded.

“Do you understand?” Warren asked.

Inhaling deeply, Katherine nodded.

“Show me the directions, Jim,” Warren leaned closer to study the screen of the tracker for a moment. Stretching his wings out to their full length, he carefully gathered Katherine in his arms. “We’ll… see you there,” he sighed and took to the air.

Jimmy dropped into a crouch to look at Marie. “It’s time for us to go too,” he explained. Her gaze looked unfocused. “Don’t make me have to carry you there.”

Marie’s eyes narrowed as she locked her gaze with Jimmy. His words certainly got a reaction out of her.

“Ah can walk for mahself,” she demonstrated this by standing.

Jimmy stepped around her. “Good. Let’s get going.”

“Ah wanted to keep lookin’ fer ‘Ro,” she stated, crossing her arms. While curious over what Scott had stumbled on – their primary mission was finding Storm. “We owe it to her ta find her!”

“We’re supposed to meet up with the group, remember?”

Jimmy tried to keep his growing frustration in check. He didn’t like the idea of a detour either. What if it was a lead though?

What if it wasn’t? They already had lost so much time.

“Ah don’t care,” Marie retorted, blowing wisps of white hair out of her eyes. “You c’n go. Ah’m gonna find her if ah have to look all night!”

Warpath watched quietly as Marie balled her fists up and spun on her heel. Sighing deeply, he watched as she headed right in the direction of the caves. He glanced over his shoulder and decided to follow her instead.

Two were better than one, right?

_Laura’s Cave_

“Are you warm enough?”

Laura was asking needless questions, knowing that they were leaving. She’d insisted on bringing extra furs, frustrated that she couldn’t take more with her. They’d already dawdled enough. She knew the only advantage they had was the lateness of the hour.

Ororo sighed, sitting near the fire. “For the fourth time, child… Yes,” she remarked. “I am just disappointed. In myself.”

Laura glanced over from where she was stuffing a few items into a daypack.

“As often as I’ve had to speak to students to remind me about how thoughtless actions could have negative consequences… Look what I ended up doing,” she cracked a faint smile.

“You went and did the same thing,” Laura remarked, laughing lightly as Ororo’s expressive brows furrowed. “I’m sorry. You’re hurting, so I can understand you,” the young woman’s voice grew pensive. “I’m just,” she waved at the open air a little. “In shock that you managed to travel so far,” Admiration was audible in her voice. “You do know where you are, right?”

The question was posed half humorously, half out of curiosity. If the white-haired mutant knew where she was, it’d be easier on both of them.

To Laura’s dismay, Ororo lightly shrugged her shoulders.

“No. Is it of any significance?”

Her nonchalance was unsettling. Blowing out a breath, Laura began to zip up the daypack.

“It is. It’s going to make getting you home a little tricky. Unless,” She allowed her voice to trail off. She couldn’t suggest the older mutant do _that_. It was already physically draining to heal from an injury.

“Unless what? What’s wrong Laura?” Ororo wrung her hands together.

“No need to be too alarmed. But, we’d need to get you home on foot. Unless you have any other options,” Laura made sure that she had Ororo’s full attention. “We’re near Lockwood Gorge.”

Alarm filled those blue eyes. That wasn’t what Ororo’d expected to hear at all! Her mouth moved a few times, with no words escaping.

Redirecting her attention to the task at hand, Laura carefully strapped two canteens tightly to the daypack. She slung it onto her shoulders, and quickly adjusted the shoulder straps. Stepping over to Ororo, she dropped into a crouch. “Please don’t make me do all the work, yeah?”

She snorted as Ororo rolled her eyes in response. The pale haired mutant neatly adjusted the furs around her legs. Carefully, Laura slipped her left arm under the injured mutant’s legs while her right arm was secured behind Ororo’s back. Smoothly rising to her feet, she tightened her hold on the older woman.

Ororon wrapped her left arm around the back of Laura’s neck and pressed her body closer to ease the strain.

“It might take us a few days’ worth of walking to get there,” At that, Laura lightly shrugged. “Or we could always hitch a ride.” She felt the pressure as Ororo soundly shook her head. “Okay,” she hazarded after a moment. “I know it’s a big ask, but,” Laura stepped forward, pushing a rock with her booted foot into the fire.

Ororo waited patiently.

Instead of continuing her trail of thought, Laura continued moving, kicking a second rock into the fire. Turning sideways once she was near the entrance of the cave, she took care not to bump Ororo into the wall.

The cool air outside was refreshing, but there was a faint warning of dwindling temperatures. Were it her decision, Laura would have waited a week or longer before moving them anywhere. Her lips thinned into a line.

Nothing was in her control right now. Even her idyllic dream of living in peace was proving to be just a dream. “Ororo,” Laura asked after a stretch of silene. “Think you could fly us out of here?” her brows twitched a little. “I’m not as heavy as I look,” her comment was meant to draw a laugh out of the older mutant. She began to feel dismay at the delayed response.

Right when the younger woman was beginning to feel more awkward, Ororo responded.

“No,” the tension in her voice was palpable. “For some reason, I cannot use my powers,” she was unable to mask the anxiety she felt. “Not at all.” Then, Ororo shivered a little. “It bothers me, Laura… more than words can say.”

Laura hummed faintly in her chest. That wasn’t something she had expected to hear at all. It helped connect the dots on a few things with her friend. _Did Ororo fall out of the sky?_ she wondered.

It fit. It was the perfect explanation as to why Ororo was so badly injured.

_Losing her powers._ The thought made Laura’s heart skip a beat. It was something that all mutants feared happening at some point in the time. A little weakness was expected over time for some of them – a total loss was never fully expected.

It didn’t matter how much preparation went into being able to live as a normal human. Mutant did not equal human at the end of the day. Their mutations were what made them unique…and often they grew reliant on having access to their powers.

“Tell me child…where do we go now?” Pressed so close, Ororo was able to hear the steady breathing and heartbeat of her new friend. She had reservations about Laura’s proposal to carry her out of the woods.

The young woman was resilient however… and was working hard to fulfill her promise.

Laura was so hyper-aware and focused though – that Ororo could breathe a sigh of relief. Maybe she wasn’t that burdensome after all?

The faint humming under her ears faltered a moment and stopped. The Stormrider had noticed the habit Laura often employed while thinking. At first, it had been a bit of an annoyance. Now though, the regularity was helping Ororo keep calm.

“We need to find a secure place for you while I try to figure out what the source of that noise was,” Laura explained. “Haven’t heard it in some time… but that makes me more suspicious.” Her grip on Ororo remained steady as she stepped around some of the bigger rocks.

Ororo quietly nodded, though she didn’t feel comfortable at the idea of being left alone. For the first time in _years_ , the mutant was defenseless. She didn’t like it.

“I figure,” Laura continued. “That we would camp out a few times, unless we can make it to the trees and bunk down under the canopy.”

There wasn’t much distance at all between where they were and the woods, but the shorter woman didn’t like the idea of going anywhere blind. She could see with minimal light, but that was nothing if she suddenly needed the use of her hands. “I don’t need much sleep,” she continued in a conversational matter. “So, I have no problem saying up to keep watch. Might be a little sluggish in the morning though.”

_Oh no…_ Ororo thought with dread. For her, they were going into the unknown. Laura was going to take the possible threat head on and stay up all night – just to get her home. Not only that, but she couldn’t walk without assistance and was going to be carried the entire trip.

She wanted to cry – scream at how wrong all of this was. _I truly am nothing more than a burden…_ she thought morosely. _Maybe she should just leave me out here._ She was certain that Laura had enjoyed a measure of peace. Now all of that was being cast aside…for her.

“I’m… I’m so sorry for all of this,” her voice was so soft, but Laura’s ears were easily able to pick up the words. “I never meant for any of it to happen. It wasn’t – It’s not fair to you.”

Instead of a verbal response, Ororo easily heard when her friend’s heartbeat picked up. Laura drew in a shaky breath, and held it for a moment.

“Laura?”

Instead of an immediate reply, the younger mutant cleared her throat.

Ororo didn’t speak again. She wasn’t certain what she’d done to agitate her friend, but did not want it to continue.

Following a long stint of silence, Laura spoke again. “S–Sorry,” she replied. “It’s just… I was thinking. About things.” Leaving her response vague would doubtless trouble Ororo, but she wasn’t sure what to say.

How was Laura going to explain that hearing the older woman apologize had frightened her at first? She’d heard ‘I’m so sorry’ so many times in the past… They tended to be used right before something horrible happened to her. Her eyes were half closed.

Were she honest, she wanted nothing more than to rip off her shirt and run screaming into the night. She’d found so much solace in her solitary existence, in her cave… with all of the animals outside as potential food. Her night times had consisted of being serenaded by crickets to sleep. Laura did not like the idea of returning to civilization. There were plenty of conveniences, sure.

She’d also find herself back on the radar for those scientists again – something that she did not want. Pushing all of that aside, she knew that it was imperative Ororo receive medical attention.

The white-haired mutant could easily pick up an infection without proper treatment.

_If there were ever a time for someone to actually have a healing factor…_ The young woman thought sadly. Her fingers twitched reflexively.

Growing up she’d suffered various bruises, scrapes and broken bones. Due to her healing factor, she hadn’t suffered permanent damage. Often, when remembering her past, she felt angry. She was almost envious of others. Other people, she’d learned… lived _normal_ lives and _ordinary_ childhoods before their mutant abilities manifested. Her powers had been forcibly activated – all to preserve her life.

Sometimes, Laura wondered what would have happened if they’d made a mistake in the lab. If she wasn’t made exactly as she had been. She would have died the first time being exposed to radiation. There would have been no projects, no tests…no pain. Just another failed test subject.

Logan hadn’t been as bothered that she was in essence – his clone. He understood that she’d begun her life as an innocent child.

Straightening her shoulders. Logan had been about owning up to his deeds. Taking responsibility – it was his habit to do that. When times grew hard, she knew he had a tendency to ride off on his bike…often for several days. She could understand the need for space. Both of them were safer when others weren’t around.

Dark brows drew together tightly. Is that how she was supposed to be when things got tough? _Isn’t that what I did?_

The thought came unbidden. When Logan – left for the last time, she hadn’t been able to handle it. She’d fled the X-Men – the only solid family she’d truly known – to where she was now. She’d been flooded with overwhelming rage, unable to cope with the tragedy. She’d never fully understood the breadth of suffering that humans dealt with on a regular basis.

She thought the loss of her mother was difficult. Knowing what she’d done still haunted her.

How foolish to assume that would be the end of her suffering.

The loss of her _father_ nearly made her lose her mind. She’d barely felt it when her senses had grown sharper, but her perception of her surroundings diminished. She’d turned into a wild, feral creature…surviving on the kill and staying in no place too long.

She was just beginning to remember who and _what_ she was when she stumbled on her friend in the woods. Now, here they were – Laura was staring down the barrel of a pistol she could never hope to escape.

The young mutant would never be able to fully escape her past.

Had she done the same thing as Logan? Instead of facing the direct threat that the loss of his healing factor posed and remaining in one place – he’d hurled his body right into danger. Over and over again. Laura was certain that he’d drowned his sorrows in plenty of beer and cigars. Without the healing factor – his body was no longer able to repair the damage he was inflicting on himself.

“I’ve been doing that a lot, ever since I found you,” she spoke. She felt when Ororo squirmed in her arms. “We’re nearly at a little niche that’s pretty safe.”

“It’s not that,” Ororo replied. “I have something pressing that I need to deal with.”

“What’s…is it?” Laura’s question was peppered with a perplexed stare as she continued to walk.

“Laura, there are no facilities out here.”

The words caused the younger woman to stop in place a moment. She blinked a little and smothered a laugh. “Yes,” she replied, trying to keep amusement out of her voice. “That is a problem, Miss Munroe.”

Scowling, Ororo light poked Laura in the belly. “It’s not funny.”

Laura let out a short guffaw at that. “No worries,” her voice was filled with a bit too much cheer considering the circumstances. “I’ll show you a place.” she let humor filter through her tone. “I’ll even help you dig.”

Immediately after the words were out of her mouth, Laura realized she was probably going to need to help Ororo. Her face flushed faintly – realization of how close they were about to be sinking in.

_We will never speak of this…_ she mentally intoned.

_Team One_

Locating Scott was a simple matter for Warren and Katherine. Neither of them liked being out in the woods at night, but she was certain that she could easily evade any creatures that wished her harm.

The grisly scene she and her winged companion had stumbled onto made her wish that she’d not left. Swallowing hard once, she redirected her attention to anything else. “Sc—Cyclops,” she choked. She struggled not to lose her dinner. Pinching her nostrils so as to block out smells in the immediate area, she turned her back to Scott. “What happened out here?”

“As I said,” Scott replied. “We were doubling back on a different path and stumbled onto this.”

Warren leaned closer, a grimace on his features.

“It was… a bear at one point. Something else got the better of it.” Scott braced himself, unsure how well received his next bit of news would be. “The manner of death was why we called you to come.”

Kitty glanced over her shoulder.

Taking that as a signal to continue, Scott spoke again. “Something slashed it open – with some really big claws. We doubt it was another bear,” he lightly licked his lips to wet them. “We’re talking claws close to a foot in length,” he stroked his chin. “The pattern of attack looks vaguely familiar too.”

Katherine’s jaw dropped. _Long claws… But it’s not…_ her head shook in reaction.

“That’s not possible,” she stated firmly. “We’ve had no reports of mutant activity in the area.” Stepping away, she crossed her arms. “He’s still gone, Cyclops – no matter how you try to pretend. There’s no chance that it’s him.”

Sighing, Scott stepped up behind Katherine and lightly squeezed her shoulders.

“Maybe a copycat did this.”

“I don’t believe so,” Scott replied, his brow wrinkling a little. “I said the pattern of attack was similar, not that they matched. The length is certainly close,” his voice dropped lower as he spoke of his concerns. “We have an entirely different person on our hands.”

Scott sighed. “Maybe he had a child we didn’t know of?”

It proved to be the wrong question, as he felt the sudden tension in Katherine’s shoulders. “Hey, it’s a possibility,” he explained. Logan had lived a very long time and had several notable flings.

Katherine’s features were scrunched as she turned to look at Scott. “That’s not fair for you to say, Cyclops. If Wolverine had a child that we don’t know about… it’s possible that he didn’t know either,” she frowned, thinking more on it. “Or he didn’t remember.”

The older mutant had suffered with memory problems until recently. Considering how old he was, it stood to reason that he had forgotten an encounter. Either that, or he hadn’t been notified. Exploring that line of thought further, Katherine began to wonder how many children Logan had. They’d recently had a run in with one of them.

“Wait a moment,” she said, biting her bottom lip. She was mentally praying that they weren’t going to have to deal with Daken yet again. He’d told them that he was turning over a new leaf, but so much time had been spent with him fulfilling his darker desires that the brunette hadn’t been sure if she could trust him.

After all, Daken was a master of manipulation. Shaking her head and closing her eyes with a sigh, Katherine turned her head away from Scott. _Maybe it’s not him…_ She certainly hoped it wasn’t.

“ShadowCat.” The voice belonged to Piotr.

Lightly rubbing her eyes, Katherine turned to him.

“We need to return to where you were searching,” he said, taking one of her small hands in both of his. His eyes were sad, the emotion one that only the both of them could understand. He also noticed how Scott stiffened a little and backed away from Katherine. “Please show us the way,” he asked, his voice soft.

Seeing his hunched shoulders, Katherine felt stung. Her lower jaw trembled faintly. It felt so _good_ to be near Piotr. Pain was right on the heels of the pleasure. She knew that time would be needed before she trusted herself to just be friends with him again.

He was such a good person, but the distance between them felt like miles.

“Sure, Colossus,” her voice wavered, betraying her feelings. “Just…” her voice trailed off. The young mutant noticed that something was off. Stretching to her full height, she craned her head and looked around.

“Is something wrong?” Warren asked.

Her head dipped and regretfully, Katherine pulled her hand from Piotr. “Rogue and Warpath were headed here, but I don’t see them.”

Scott adjusted his visor faintly. “It’s possible they are still on the way,” he stated. His gaze turned skywards. “There should be some sign of Rogue at least.”

“Um…” Kitty wasn’t sure what she should share. “B-Both of them would be on foot,” she stated, the explanation sounding lame even to her own ears. She did not want to be the one to tell them how Marie had reacted to even the _thought_ that she might be touched.

Scott’s left brow rose. “That’s not like Rogue at all.”

Anything else he would have said was halted as Kitty raised a hand and waved it, her bangs bouncing along as she resolutely shook her head. “Another time,” she stated, glibly.

“Warpath is with her,” Warren offered. That had to offer some comfort.

Katherine shook her head. “Let’s just head back. We’ll bump into them on the way.”

Piotr nodded faintly, but moved closer to Katherine. It was fortunate that he was in his metallic form, for his normal body would have exposed his feelings too much.

“Fine,” Scott replied. It was for the best. “Come on, Iceman!” he called to Bobby, the man hugging Megan and whimpering. He’d gotten positively sick when they found the bear. Without knowing what kind it was immediately, the bloody damage was plainly visible to them all.

The bear hadn’t had a chance.

There was a real danger – a risk that whatever or whoever tore into that bear was still out here. If that was the case, there was far more safety in numbers.

Something else concerned, Scott, but he didn’t bring it up in the short briefing. The bear had remnants of black fur on it. Black bears, he remembered – were nonaggressive. They tended to avoid humans, making fake charges and stomping rather than attack.

Whoever had done this had no regard and viciously killed the animal. Its legs were also missing. _Was it a simple hunt?_ he wondered.

Was it possible that their bear hunter had been working solo?

He certainly hoped so. He also hoped that Warpath was _able_ to keep Rogue safe until they could meet up. Scott tapped his communicator in reflex.

“Cyclops to Rogue,” he spoke, waiting for a response. They continued to walk at a rushed pace. Seconds ticked by as Scott waited for a reply. “Rogue? Do you copy?”

_Elsewhere_

A reddish communicator lit up where it lay in the mud, but no one was around to answer it.

\--

**Author’s Note:** Thanks for hanging in there with me! I hope you enjoyed! I’d love to hear what you think. I love constructive criticism. Got a suggestion? I’ll take those too! Wanna be my beta? Seriously? If so, I’ll definitely take you on! PM me for details and we can figure something out. As a forewarning, I write massive chapters and my grasp of my native tongue (English) is not very good.

**On A Personal Note:** Also, I’m going to be taking a brief hiatus. It’s become so stressful to update for this and “Navigating The Curve” with such a tight schedule that writing for “Open Arms” has become not fun for me. I’ve updated for _nearly_ two months (Between Friday-Sunday) religiously with this fic. I opted to not bother last week because I felt like I was losing my mind.

My beta disappeared half-way through editing, and I was struggling to finish up editing for my other beta to go over “Navigating The Curve”. My editing for that fic will reflect in this one.

While “Navigating The Curve” can be stressful too, it’s more on the editing side of things. That fiction also needs beta input.

When I come back, I’ll be adjusting “Open Arms” to mirror the posting pattern of “Navigating The Curve”. Does that mean I’ll be updating every two weeks instead of weekly? No clue. I’ll see how it goes.

I’m just now close to finishing up my revision for the first chapter of Open Arms. And it’s been how long since I promised a fix? Sorry about that.

~J. Lyst


	9. The Stars Tonight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Put her down!” The words tore through the air.
> 
> She barely heard them before the light was pointed in her eyes again.
> 
> Inhaling deeply, Laura lowered her head. “It’s rude to blind other people!” The muscles in her chest tightened as she yelled. “You should know that well enough, One-Eye!”

**Disclaimer:** I don’t own Marvel or the X-Men. It’d be nice. Ooh. Just think of the RoLo merch I could sell… Ah. Oh well.

**Warning:** Apologies in advance for some inaccuracies there might be around one of the teachers. And pacing, word selection and scenery.

**Triggers:** None, unless you hate karaoke. Who really _hates_ karaoke though?

Open Arms

By Juliette Lyst

The Stars Tonight

_At The Mansion – Evening_

A whirring sound echoed down the halls. It was loud, obnoxious even and it tore through the air with abandon. Were it daytime, those gathered in the living room wouldn’t have given it a second thought. They were used to various noises in the building. Either it was a teacher scrambling to get suited up for a mission or a student trying to hurry to class. So late though? Who was it?

Powerful as the group could be, future heroes even – they would have to learn to deal with the unexpected with as much calm and patience as they could muster. Tonight thought? The seven teenagers gathered were just kids who wanted to enjoy a well-earned movie night. They were all perched on various bits of furniture. Two of them, in fact, shared one chair. The shorter of the two was seated on the arm.

As they were still young, all of them did their best just to avoid the noise. If there was a true problem, one of the adults would have alerted them. Unfortunately, the source of the sound was coming closer.

_Someone_ rolled into the room, moving so fast that there was a bit of a blur. Slowing down to stop in front of the TV, the woman on old fashioned roller skates planted her hands on her hips.

“Y’all know what time it is?!” she asked her unwilling ‘audience’.

A young teen with a plain baseball cap grumbled, pulling the brim low over his face. “It’s time to watch the movie that we all busted ourselves up to earn!” His frustration with the adult was understandable. Hard work, shown by improved grades had been rewarded with an extra hour of television before bed. He wanted to enjoy every minute of it.

A girl next to him elbowed him hard.

“Hey!” Yanking off his cap, both hands balled up into fists, he glared at the girl. “What was that for?”

Not to be intimidated, she folded her arms and gestured to their guest.

“Oh, come on! Not you too!”

Ignoring him, the girl piped up. “Not all of us are unhappy when you come by to visit, Miss Blaire.” The words earned the teen a huge grin.

At the school, Alison had taken up a position as the music teacher. When first given the opportunity, she believed it was a joke. What fun _couldn’t_ be made of a mutant whose power was based on the conversion of sonic waves into different types of light? Her tenure with the X-Men had been as unsteady as her gig-based career had been. It took a bit of convincing, but Jean had finally proven that the offer was a serious one.

Jumping at the chance, the thrilled musician had found her classes full to the brim ever since. Many of her students had fallen over themselves for a chance to have a ‘famous singer’ as their teacher. Dazzler, as she was known on stage, never wanted to go much into detail about the cost of fame.

Being renown had its own problems – and it was far harder out there than her students could ever understand, but she still wanted to do her best in expanding their love of music in all its forms. Far from being a boring job, the position had proved itself to be anything but. The excitement on the faces of her students when they hit a note correctly was something she loved seeing.

Now, the only downside was when she had an actual music gig. Since her agent had dropped her, she’d assumed that the offers would be less than slim pickings. For so long, she had struggled to have solid ground under her feet. It was difficult to juggle a secret identity and budding musical career. Though she’d lied in the past about where her ‘special lights’ came from, the light shows themselves were done to draw in the crowds… and they worked.

The change from such secrecy to being out in the open had been difficult, frightening even… but there was a lot of relief too. Were anyone to ask, she didn’t see her powers as anything special. It was everyone _else_ that wanted to exploit what she had.

“Thank you.” Alison replied. She still wore the same trademark skates whenever she could get away with it. Noticing the teen boy muttering something and putting his cap back on, she held her tongue. “Let me start again…” she said, finding a seat on the couch. Alison watched the smile bloom on the teenage girl’s face as she spoke again. “Do you all know what time it is?”

“Karaoke night?” The girl asked, giggling.

Without input from Alison, there was a chorus of groans in the room. All the students were here because no one else would take them in, but they all wanted to be entertained. No one, save one or three people actually enjoyed karaoke night.

Alison seemed to be nearly alone in singing ability, as half of the students couldn’t sing even if their lives depended on it. She struggled to maintain a neutral expression, because two of the students failing in her voice class were in here. The blonde felt sorrow over that, but next year was going to be bigger and better because she could include instruments. She could teach them so much about pacing, pitch and flow. Instruments mirrored what the voice could do, often to a lesser degree. She would no longer be “Miss Blair: The singing teacher”, but be a full fledged music teacher.

At least...to the eyes of some. Her smile dimmed a little, as she remembered a few of her fellow teachers that questioned the validity of even having music in the curriculum. It _apparently_ didn’t matter that the students who played instruments had better hand-eye coordination. It was so easy to also forget that there were far tighter connections between both halves of the brains for musicians.

In the past, Alison would have nearly screamed at the top of her lungs to get her point across.

To her, a better question would be _why_ even bother to have sports and basketball games. It wasn’t as if participation in a sport would guarantee any option to professionally play. No. Mutants would always be excluded.

Music was far different. Being able to channel nuclear energy didn’t matter as much if you were meant to play a clarinet solo. She couldn’t immediately think of any mutant who had a boost to their abilities due to their mutation. Alison pursed her lips, thinking. “No.” One word. The simplicity of it was unusual for her.

Stretching her legs, she crossed her feet at the ankles. She leaned back in her seat and slumped, relaxing. Tonight, absolutely nothing was on her schedule and Alison planned on enjoying every moment. For some time, she’d feel pulled – stretched in different directions. Between the scheduling for her next tour, work in the studio for her new EP, and her current string of gigs that would resume in a week – Alison was swamped.

It was gratifying – recognition again after being thrown into unexpected obscurity. Being on stage was thrilling for her.

But…

Alison had to admit that she really missed this, missed being around the students. While the lure of the road had been strong before, now she had to swallow down her frustration with how much traveling cut into her program. Thankfully, she could teach vocal training through videochat… with a modified schedule.

Remote streaming had been a fleeting dream at first. How exactly was a singer who performed six nights per week supposed to hold four classes per week? Would the signal be strong enough wherever she was? How could she even manage the time? What about sleep?

Grinning broadly, Alison rested her head against the cushions.

“Miss Blair?”

Instead of responding, the blonde lightly waved a hand. There would be plenty of time for her to speak with her students, but after the movie was over.

_The Forest - Evening_

“It’s nothing personal.”

Laura lowered her head, a pensive expression flitting across her face.

“I’m sorry.” The older mutant spoke up.

The first time Laura had heard those words, they weren’t that bothersome. Now though, they grated on her nerves. She fully carried the white-haired mutant without a whisper of complaint, not wanting the other woman to strain herself. In their time together, she’d found her thoughts turning inwards. She realized that her desire to remain alone was selfish and self-centered in a way. _What’s happened since I left?_ She wondered. The desire to ask if anyone had missed her burned brightly, and she struggled to hold it in.

Did anything bad happen because she wasn’t there? _That’s a bit conceited, don’t you think?_ It was a legitimate question – but right now she had no idea how she’d respond to an answer. _It’s foolish to wonder._ Her inner voice harshly remarked. _As if someone as insignificant would be of that much importance…_ Her chest ached. _Wouldn’t have things been better if you’d never been here?_

Self-loathing was nothing new. Hating herself was why she’d found herself out here, why she hadn’t sought help when they’d lost Logan. _Then again…_ As the small woman walked, she couldn’t help but notice that Ororo had lost weight. It wasn’t a small amount either. The Stormrider had high cheekbones, but they’d only grown more pronounced along with her collar bones. _How could no one notice you were hurting too?_ That was a million dollar question. Ororo was **the** Leader of the X-Men. When were eyes _not_ on her?

_Maybe they were trying to give her space?_ She wasn’t certain, and didn’t want to add salt to a fresh wound by asking. There were other concerns that Laura had about their return to the mansion. Where would she go after? She had a feeling that Ororo wouldn’t let her escape again.

Quietly scoffing at the mental image of _Storm_ striking her with lightning as a ‘warning’ against leaving, she nearly missed a faint sound that drifted up to her sensitive ears. Her eyes widened a fraction as she glanced down marginally. Ororo’s soft snoring reached her ears. _Well… I’ll be._ While the young woman had noticed that her friend was almost limp in her arms, she hadn’t expected the white-haired mutant to fall asleep.

Still… A very faint smile crossed her lips. Ororo was just as guarded as she was with most things and being comfortable enough to fall asleep in her arms spoke volumes.

The smile disappeared as she detected another sound.

Turning her head, she lowered both of them into the bushes. “Ro…” she muttered softly, gently shaking the older woman awake. Watching as blue eyes fluttered open, Laura pressed a lone finger to Ororo’s lips. “Shh… It’s me. Stay here. We’re not alone.”

The look on the older woman’s face made Laura feel as if the air had been squeezed out of her lungs.

“Don’t worry. I’m going to check it out.” Reading fear and smelling it too, Laura offered a weak smile. “I’m going to come back. I promise.” Carefully tucking Ororo further into the bushes, Laura sunk further into the lengthening shadows. Lowering herself into a crouch, she didn’t flinch at the sensation of her claws easily ripping though her skin.

Shaking her arms, her muscles ripped under the skin as she moved further along the ground, towards the sounds of crunching leaves. Narrowing her eyes, Laura strained as she noted voices as well. Whoever was out here was in _her_ domain. Her lips peeled back in a grim smile. Recognition hit a split second later.

“Are yah sure they’re headin’ this way, sug?”

_Figures._ Laura remembered the ‘southern belle’ well. She hadn’t gotten off on the right foot with Rogue, not at all. If Rogue was in the area, that was a good thing though...right? They could push their differences aside – for now.

The young mutant hesitated, because the fact was that she still had splotches of blood on her shirt. She was also sweating and doubted they expected to see her out there. And… Storm was badly injured. _Wish I had another option._ Even if they recognized her, they might suspect that she was up to no good. After all, if there was anything in common between her and Logan beside the obvious – she was also a trained killer.

To date, she was still enslaved to a ‘trigger scent’ that would send her into an unstoppable killing frenzy. It was a weakness, a terrible one – but out here the possibility of exposure again was slim. She had hoped that the isolation would take her away from that risk entirely. Returning to “society” would put everyone around her in danger. Steeling her jaw, she stepped out from behind her cover.

“ _Now_ you question my tracking skills, Marie?” Jimmy asked, amusement in his voice. The mountain of a man dropped into a light crouch, his left hand reaching towards the ground. _What do we have here?_ The forest was full of tracks for him to follow, but he was trying to find a specific set. It was a bit annoying for him to deal with Marie’s quips at the same time, but he knew that she was concerned.

With Ororo as your friend, you normally didn’t have to feel like that at all. The actions of the white-haired mutant had been unpredictable.

“Ya twistin’ up mah words, Jimmy!” Marie complained. She planted her hands on her hips, but they didn’t stay there long.

_Who is Jimmy?_ Laura lightly shook her head. Hesitating, she took a step back. _No. This isn’t wrong._ She struggled to remind herself. There was no need to be afraid. Rogue wouldn’t be out here with someone if he wasn’t safe. The young mutant took another step backwards, too wrapped up in her uncertain thoughts to notice the sound of a snapping branch.

“Stop right there!”

Nape rising at the familiar voice, Laura gritted her teeth. About to turn around, she heard the man speak again.

“Don’t move!”

Blinking a little at his words, she turned her head to snarl fiercely at him. Her pupils reacted immediately to the sudden glare of a flashlight in her face. Audibly sucking her teeth, she threw back her shoulders. She was ready for whatever they were going to throw at her. A feral grin lit up her features. “Bring it on, Boy Scout.” She snapped at him.

She let out a brief laugh, noting how he started at her words. “Try me. Come on…” Laura keenly remembered how Scott and Logan didn’t always get alone. She had no problem tearing into him either… not when she’d had to be on edge for so long tonight.

“...Nice try.” Scott responded, harshly. He was thrown off by the words directed at him. Who was this? The wild appearance didn’t help much at all, as her hair was obscuring a good section of her face. No just anyone would have called him that either, so was this someone he knew? “Where is she?” He asked simply, cutting to the chase. Their mission was a simple one. Find Storm and take her home. He hadn’t expected there to be another party involved.

Laura snorted softly at his words and didn’t reply. She was getting angry, irrationally so...and it was making her sloppy. She was struggling to avoid doing anything stupid, but the way she was being treated made it hard.

At the silence he was on the receiving end of, the impromptu leader of the rescue mission tried to speak in a softer tone, but his words made the effort fall flat. “I’ll ask again. Where is she?”

_Interesting…_ she thought. No mention of who ‘she’ was. Yet, he was expecting her to tell him what he wanted. Laura tilted her head. “Turn off the light and we can talk.” Too often, far too often she had dealt with people in positions of authority shining lights in her eyes. They thought it amusing – how her eyes reacted to light. Causing her pain was pleasure for them.

Who did Scott think he was?

Hesitating because this person was still anomaly – he didn’t immediately agree. He was the one who gave orders. Not some nameless entity in the dark.

But… They were looking for their friend and this person might have seen something in the area. After an uncomfortably long moment, Scott complied with the request. “Fine.” From the tilt of his head in the dark, he was trying to project an air of control still. “Can you tell me now--”

“Mah goodness!” Marie exclaimed after catching up to Scott’s group. The slight person between them had distinct claws that she could easily see in the moonlight. “Look out, Cyclops!”

Alarmed at the sudden additional noise, Laura turned her attention to the brush directly to her left and leapt into it. The flurry of noise behind her let her know they were attempting to follow her. Too bad she could see better in the dark. She let her memory and nose lead her back to where she’d left Ororo.

Things were going very _very_ wrong. The young mutant was still trying to deal with others normally – when she’d been alone for so long. All the progress she assumed she made with Ororo wasn’t much at the end of the day was it? Not when it was compared to the span of time that had passed since she’d initially come out here.

Sheathing her claws with barely a grunt, she located Ororo easily, speaking softly to alert the older woman of her presence. “I’m back.” She didn’t immediately reach out, not wanting to cause fear.

Ororo still started at the sound of Laura’s voice, her body jerking forward. Swallowing down a scream, the Windrider turned her head. “Who was there, child?” There was a quiver in her voice that she couldn’t hide if she tried.

Lowering her head, Laura sighed. “Your team is here… but they want to kill me,” A humorless smile crossed her lips, invisible in the dark. “...I think.” A frail laugh escaped her then. “Come on, let’s get you back.” Carefully lifting Ororo up into her arms, Laura peeked out of the bushes and straightened up.

Ororo looped her arms around Laura’s neck, holding on for dear life. “I want to believe you are joking.” The white haired mutant replied, calmly. “I am never sure when you are.” Did Laura find things funny? How well did she know the younger woman… really?

The snort her words earned was well deserved. “I’m still a work in progress.” Laura responded. Her upbringing hadn’t given her an opportunity for humor. She’d been bred solely to be used as a weapon. The longer she was away from her handlers, the more she had begun to notice things outside of death and killing. Turning her small body toward the direction she’d just left, Laura started walking.

“Put her down!” The words tore through the air.

She barely heard them before the light was pointed in her eyes again.

Inhaling deeply, Laura lowered her head. “It’s rude to blind other people!” The muscles in her chest tightened as she yelled. “You should know that well enough, One-Eye!”

“Please, don’t argue with him Laura.” Ororo pleaded, softly. She was already feeling unbalanced by all that had happened. She didn’t need this. “Just set me down.” Ororo felt the faint rumbling of her young friend’s chest in reaction, noted the dip as Laura carefully lowered her to the ground.

Straightening up to her full height, the brunette held up her hands. “This is the thanks I get.” she muttered, irritated. _Be polite…_ she tried to remind herself, wanting so badly to just raise her middle fingers and flip Scott off. It wouldn’t help her case if she was so blatantly disrespectful though.

Then...she noticed that Scott had put his hand to the side of his visor.

_Oh you have got to be kidding me!_ Was the man seriously about to fry her?! She knew that she looked like a mess, with her hair in disarray from the impromptu scrub in the river and uneven drying near the fire. Her clothing was also ragged, torn and still stained with blood in areas. That didn’t mean she deserved an early dirt nap.

“Scott, no!” Kitty exclaimed, walking up beside him. The recognition was like lightening had struck… thanks in part to the flashlight. “She’s a friend!” Glancing up at him, Katherine felt chilled. Scott still was poised to attack. Hadn’t he heard what she just said? Attention darting back to their wayward ally, Kitty spoke again. “...Right? You are still a friend, aren’t you Laura?”

Laura nodded quietly, but stayed close to Ororo. Hearing a soft sound, she chanced a glance down. “Umm…” She noticed the older mutant seemed to be shivering. “How are you feeling?” Blue eyes, wet with tears, met hers. Throwing caution to the wind, Laura dropped into a crouch. She was painfully aware that she was still in Scott’s ‘sights’.

“What’s wrong?” She hazarded, ignoring him. He wouldn’t try to strike her down if she was so close to Ororo, right?

They were being rescued! Well… one of them was. Wasn’t that a good thing? _Why is she so upset? Didn’t she tell me to put her down in the first place?_

Instead of speaking Ororo reached out again for Laura and was obligingly picked up.

Inhaling deeply as she felt arms around her neck again, Laura allowed her shoulders to relax a fraction.

Scott, noting the exchange, lowered his hand from his visor. He’d heard Kitty just fine...but at the end of the day, Laura Kinney was still an unpredictable and often intolerable element in their lives. She was dangerous, with plenty of blood on her hands. _Barely any blood on her hands was from us._ And just like that, he was going to refuse acknowledgment of any kind… especially the dirty hand he’d played in her life. When she’d been on his team, she was there for her combat skills. Nothing more. Her ‘importance’ had been made plain to all.

Her reaction when she saw him only confirmed that his dislike of her was mutual.

She didn’t have Logan’s excuse of fighting for years on end for his own survival to explain why she was so violent. Even as Wolverine, Logan had superior control in the field. To Laura, or X-23 as she was not so affectionately called – bloodbaths were the order of the day for her.

In his eyes, the young woman had no care...concern or regard for life. Or did she? The way she was acting now was sowing doubt. Had he been wrong about her?

Laura’s true background was far worse than many of them even knew. She wasn’t that forthcoming with her life before coming to the X-Men. With reason.

Scott didn’t have the luxury of knowing much about her outside of how lethal she was, and he was hoping he wouldn’t have to deal with her for long. The young woman’s voice cut through his train of thought.

“...get back. I promised that I would get her there. She can’t walk, so I’m her legs.” Her grip on Ororo reflexively tightened as the older woman moved in her arms.

Kitty shook her head in disbelief, her eyes visibly widened. “That’s nearly sixty miles from here.” Taking on the load of another person would have delayed them significantly.

Smirking, Laura lightly shrugged. “I promised I would walk her there, and I don’t fail on my promises.” As she said the latter part, her gaze wandered over to Scott’s face. Her stare was intense and pointed, the meaning behind it impossible to ignore. Redirecting her attention to Ororo, her eyes crinkled at the corners. “We’ll get you home, ‘Ro,” she murmured. “Just like I promised.”

Her dark brows furrowed in concern at the stillness. Ororo was upset.

“Please stay, Laura,” she begged, her voice rough and on the edge of tears. “I can’t lose you too.”

Mutely, Laura nodded. _Great that I could decide in the matter…_

–

**Author’s Note:** Heyyy! I’m back! I hope this is okay. I’ve been gone a lot longer than I thought I would be, and I’m quite rusty. I’ve forgotten a large chunk of the plot with this story. Fortunately, I have a notebook to review.

Doing my best to edit as I am now lacking with a beta on both fronts.

Oh, and I joined Tumblr and the Tweeter! So far, so good.

**On A Personal Note:** I’m doing better mentally, but my physical health is not the best. I think stepping back my writing schedule was the right call – even though I’m way behind on when this was supposed to be uploaded.

Thank you so much for your patience! XXO

I love you all!

~J. Lyst


	10. Extremes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You had no problem eating in the cave…” Showing off one canine in a half grin, Laura half shrugged. “We can go back there if you want.” When her only response was silence, she plowed forward. “If grandpappy Cyclops lets us, we can return.”
> 
> “Laura...”

**Disclaimer:** I don’t own any part of the X-Men, but it would be a lot of fun!

 **Triggers:** I don’t know what I’m doing. Sorry!

 **Warnings:** I had a lot of “Uh”s here.

Open Arms

By Juliette Lyst

Extremes

Three Days. Three days had passed since Laura delivered on her promise to return Ororo to the mansion. She was still trying to get used to being able to shower in one location – unworried about losing her footing. Standing under the hot spray, Laura gathered the shampoo lather in her hair and moaned. Briefly, she had toyed with the idea of shaving herself bald and starting off again from the beginning.

Her long locks had _at least_ a month of oily buildup. Regular access to simple things – like shampoo – had been non-existent. On occasion, she’d been able to obtain soap. Thankfully, she wasn’t that filthy at all now, able to fully clean herself of ichor from the slain bear. Still, some stubborn bits of fur and flesh lingered longer than she wished.

Shortly after returning to the mansion, the young mutant had learned what had happened since she’d… left.

Emma was in a stasis chamber due to reasons that Hank absolutely refused to disclose to her. All he’d done was reference Cerebro before leveling a glare on Scott.

That was something else. It seemed as if everyone was angry with the quartz-wearing mutant. What on earth had Scott done? She was barely resisting the urge to corner one of the others there to figure out what was going on.

The only reason that she even knew about Emma was because she voluntarily carried Ororo to the medlab for treatment. She’d expected to only set the white-haired mutant down on the table and leave, but had been stunned when Hank expressed a need to examine her.

The first two days back in the mansion, Laura was stuck in an examination room as Hank ran test after test on her. Mercifully, he gave her the ‘all clear’ and she was able to scrub her face in the bathroom sink before leaving.

To her surprise, Scott had already set up a room for her. Her flinty stare lingered on him longer than was appropriate. Instead of accepting it easily, she requested Logan’s old room.

The reluctance was there, the hesitation. It wasn’t easy for anyone to deal with losing the Wolverine, least of all Ororo. He wasn’t entirely certain how his ‘sister’ would handle having someone else living in Logan’s room. Instead of dancing around the situation, Scott flat out refused. He explained his stance, and why the alternative might be harmful to Ororo.

He’d done so much already – he didn’t want to make things worse by giving away Logan’s room.

Not one to be deterred, Laura argued her point, that she missed Logan and having his room was the only way she could be close to her father.

_That_ made Scott relent. He only hoped Ororo could forgive him.

She was currently in the shower, dancing between reminiscing about better times and pondering her future. _I wonder if they’ll let me stay here._ Time had changed her view on it. Ororo was the first to offer that suggestion, and now the idea had some appeal.

Lips pursing as she allowed the possibilities to churn in her mind, the negative consequences came under consideration too. There would be no more peace and quiet, no cricket hymns at night or birdsongs in the morning. But…

Her nose crinkled a little as she sniffed the opened bottle of shampoo.

There were few things that could cement her stay. One of them was in the medlab waiting for her to visit. Overjoyed to be released after she was cleared of illnesses… as if she ever got sick – she missed her friend.

A tentative knock sounded at her door, causing her to call out quickly. “I’m coming!” Without preamble, she finished rinsing herself off, turned off the showerhead’s spray and padded naked and dripping to open the door. Plastering a glare in place, she swung the door open wide. “What do you want?”

She was met with Bobby, who promptly froze in shock when he noticed her state of dress. Face reddening to the shade of a tomato, he covered his eyes. “…You’re trying to kill me, aren’t you?” The quip sounded strangled, his voice gravely. “You are, aren’t you?”

Leaning against the doorframe and not at all concerned that she was flashing anyone in the vicinity, Laura crossed her arms. “What did you want?”

Needing no more prompting, Bobby thrust the garment bag he was holding at Laura.

Her brows rose sharply. “What’s this?” Reaching for the bag and accepting it, she allowed all pretense of hostility to evaporate. She hadn’t expected _this_. Before, she’d not had a good relationship with Bobby or Piotr. The metal man’s peaceful mindset unnerved her, but she wasn’t sure why. Her old ‘companion’ Warpath was different too.

Everything was different – or maybe she was seeing with different eyes.

“It’s… what do you think it is?” Bobby grumbled, incredulity seeping through in his tone. As soon as he’d felt Laura accept the bag, he stepped backwards and turned around. “Kitty mentioned that you’d likely need new clothes… but we weren’t sure what your size was. So, we guessed. Let us know if the stuff fits right or not.” Done delivering his message, Bobby rushed to put as much distance between himself and Laura as was possible.

The brunette snorted softly, tsking under her breath. She felt amused, but also disappointed by his outward signs of distress from being near her. She couldn’t understand why everyone was so skittish now. Ever since she’d returned to the school. _There are things in this life,_ she considered. _Things that are so rare, precious, that you fear a mere look or touch will take them away._

Shaking her head and lightly scratching behind her right ear, she stepped back into her room and closed the door with a faint click. Setting the garment bag down on her bed, she padded back to the bathroom to finish properly drying herself off.

Following her request, as soon as she’d gotten settled in Logan’s old room – a small package of toiletries was delivered. Unfortunately, her package had also come with perfumes… something that she explicitly did not ask for. Why anyone assumed that she could appreciate perfume with the type of nose she had – well that was anyone’s guess really.

Curiosity still prickled her though and she sniffed at the amber liquid in the bottle. The smell had her coughing and gasping for air. Capping it quickly, she stepped away from the bottle and briefly debated tossing out the perfume. The glass _did_ look pretty though. With a sigh, she set the bottle on the roughly hewn dresser.

Properly dry, she returned to her bed to investigate the contents of the garment bag. After pulling down the zipper, she took a long moment to inspect the contents and let out a boisterous laugh. For some reason unknown, mostly all of the clothing that Kitty had secured for her were sleeveless sweatshirts and sweatpants. Laura still lacked shoes except for the well-worn boots she’d had in the forest.

With a grunt, she decided to go barefoot. It was better than trudging who-knew-what from her boots all the way down to the medlab. Grin slowly spreading across her lips, she headed out of her room and hurried to the elevators. Jimmy nearly collided with her, as the larger man was heading to the kitchen.

Maintaining his balance, he leaned back and smiled. “Good morning to you as well, Lex!”

Rubbing the back of her neck, Laura shakily returned the smile. Lex was a nickname that he’d taken to calling her, finding it a lot nicer than X-23 or Laura X. “Morning—” Her words trailed off as she noticed Jimmy’s appraising stare. “What?” Was there something in her teeth, something on her face?

“No. Just… Wondering.” He had grown quiet, knew that he was very likely aggravating her with idle conversation. “I heard that Allison is making pancakes today.”

Was that all? Laura squinted at him. _Is that why he’s so cheerful?_ For pancakes? This was a far cry from the extremely cautious man of a few nights before. Sure, he’d come up with some pithy excuse at the time and it made sense, but it didn’t make Laura feel any better. Today’s interaction was bothering her even more. She’d been labeled a “problem” before… a liability.

_So what_ if they’d had some close calls in the Danger Cave during training? Everyone had still emerged intact.

“They’re shaped like music notes.” Jimmy added, _way_ too excited over that.

Laura continued to stare at him, expecting something _else_ to warrant this interruption. All that she knew about Allison was that the woman was some big-time musician and a mutant who was able to generate bright lights. Nothing else for her had seemed important enough to learn. Most of Laura’s previous jobs had provided nearly no information, save appearances and some idea of the person’s normal daily movements.

She hadn’t even worked with Alison in any important capacity that came up in recent memory. They’d met of course and Alison’s pleasant personality had set Laura on edge. The young mutant was still trying to get accustomed to people being genuinely kind to her without there being some hidden agenda.

“That’s… nice to know.” Laura mumbled, noncommittally. She wanted to leave the conversation, that much was abundantly clear.

Noting the painfully clear lack of interest, Jimmy decided to cut the conversation short. Before the mission, he’d believed that all they’d find was Storm. The sudden reappearance of X-23 out there had shocked him to silence. He’d avoided mirroring Scott in jumping to conclusions – which proved invaluable once he noticed that Laura’s clothing was bloodied.

None of them could even hint at Laura being at fault without Ororo defending her. The sight of his white-haired friend had been upsetting. She’d looked so thin and fragile… It made him want to do something – anything – to make her well. If he could have given some of his strength to her, he would have.

“I’ll save you one of them,” Jimmy noted with a teasing lilt to his voice. “Maybe.” Smiling broadly, he walked past Laura – effectively ending their brief chat.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Laura resumed her trek to the elevators. Once inside, she pressed her back to the wall and hung her head.

_Sometime Later – Medlab_

“You don’t need to do this, child.”

Glancing up from where she was hunched over a bedside table, Laura stuffed a large bite of sandwich into her mouth. Perplexed, she furrowed her brows. It was as effective method as any to avoid the conversation. After entering the room Ororo was staying in, she’d laid claim to one of the hard foldout chairs. Her eating habits were normally were messy. Still, it was a far sight above when she was eating with sticks or her claws in the forest.

Unperturbed, Ororo continued. “This, Laura. You didn’t have to come down to see how I was doing.” Ororo lightly pushed away the plate holding her breakfast. She hadn’t had much appetite before leaving the mansion. Today, nothing seemed to have changed.

Snorting in response, Laura set her sandwich back down on its plate and scooted closer to Ororo’s hospital bed. The younger mutant pushed Ororo’s plate back in front of her and pointed at the fork.

Icy blue eyes met green as the two women ended up in a small battle of wills.

Crossing her arms, Laura lowered her head – intentionally intensifying her stare. There was no way she was going to leave until Ororo ate. She was very upset to learn from Hank that their friend had avoided food for the most part, save a few mouthfuls…for weeks. “This could be remedied easily.” The brunette grumbled.

Taken aback by the firm stance, Ororo broke eye contact first. Instead of reaching for her fork, she busied her hands in straightening out the blanket that was pooled around her waist. How could she explain that she had no appetite at all? In the back of her mind, a small part of her bucked – not liking how overbearing Laura was.

The windrider never avoided meals if possible, but as of late, she felt no desire to eat. The problem presented was that she was dealing with a visitor that now didn’t want to leave. Logan and Laura were very much alike in how stubborn they could be. Ororo began to suspect that Hank had fed into the worry about her condition.

Still…

“Maybe I’ll see if Hank will let me move in down here.”

“Laura –” That wasn’t what Ororo wanted at all.

“I’m sure he can fit a cot in here,” she continued on as if Ororo had never spoken to her. It wasn’t very polite, but at this point she was past politeness and niceties. If Ororo didn’t want to eat, then the dark-haired young woman was going to stay until she did. “Though to be honest…” Laura grinned. “I can sleep anywhere really.”

“But… don’t you dislike hospitals?”

The younger mutant froze up at the question, but kept her grin stubbornly in place. It was true that she didn’t feel comfortable in the medlab. There were sights and smells that reminded her too much of her upbringing. In here, there was a particular _clean_ smell that really bothered her. “What does it matter at the end of the day?” She blinked, leaving her eyes heavily lidded. “I’ve dealt with worse.”

The reminder made Ororo feel like a heel. Frowning, she lifted up her fork finally and began eating her breakfast. “…It’s cold.” She grumbled under her breath.

“Next time eat when it’s fresh.” Lips pursing in frustration, Laura bent down over her own meal again. Another thought occurred to her then. “You had no problem eating in the cave…” The words slipped out before she was able to restrain them.

Round blue eyes stared at her for an uncomfortable moment. “That… was different.” Resting her hands on the bedside table, Ororo didn’t push the plate away again… but seemed to stop eating for a moment. “I don’t know how I can explain it.”

Showing off one canine in a half grin, Laura half shrugged. “We can go back there if you want.” When her only response was silence, she plowed forward. “If grandpappy Cyclops lets us, we can return.”

“Laura, you know Hank will never allow that.”

“An astute observation from our Windrider.” The blue mutant chimed in from the doorway. He’d been on his way to check on Ororo, but lingered at the doorway when he heard the two women conversing. It had been rude of him, but he was curious to see what Ororo would say. “I won’t be here long, just going to check on your vitals.”

“My _vitals_ would be much improved if I was allowed to rest in my own bedroom.” Ororo responded, agitation seeping through in her tone.

Tsking in response, Hank put the tips of his stethoscope in his ears. Placing the drum against her chest, he counted quietly – peering at his wristwatch. After a few minutes, he made a note on his chart. “Unfortunately, you’re not healthy enough for that.”

“I don’t _like_ it down here!”

Hank understood Ororo’s discomfort, between being injured and her claustrophobia. He’d put her in the largest room he had down there, but knew it wasn’t enough. If she had _not_ neglected herself to begin with, she wouldn’t be down here. No good would come of voicing his concerns to her. Instead, he looked at her plate.

On her own, Ororo had resumed eating. He held his breath, not wanting to interrupt her.

Noticing that Laura had watched everything intently, Hank offered her a faint nod. He wasn’t certain what had occurred between the two women before he reached the room, but he was grateful for whatever help he could get. “I’ll be back in an hour to change your bandages and to check your catheter.”

Ororo’s features sharply twisted in disgust. She _really_ wanted to be in her own bed.

After Hank bade them both farewell, Ororo allowed her gaze to drift back to Laura. The younger mutant’s eyes were half closed, her expression undiscernible. It was so strange – the similarities between Logan and his… child.

“Laura?”

Fortunately, she was able to break whatever reverie her friend had fallen into.

“Thank you…for visiting me. You didn’t need to.”

Almost imperceptivity, Laura’s lips quirked. “I felt… like I should.” Returning to her sandwich, she peeled off the crust, turning it around in thought. “I know you have a lot of visitors – felt like I should be one of them too.” Stuffing the bite into her mouth, she grabbed a pen off the bedside table. “Should leave proof I came too.”

Carefully perching herself on the corner of Ororo’s bed, she eyed the bright white cast that encased the windrider’s right leg from the knee down to the middle of her foot. Several members of the team had already signed their names – Hank being first of course. Josh’s name was penned as well as several of Ororo’s students.

Grimacing at the sight of the mathematical equations on the cast, Laura moved over to a clean spot and wrote her name. She then began to draw a tally board, a faint grin crossing her lips.

“Are you doodling on my cast?” Ororo asked after several minutes of quiet scribbling. She was becoming curious to see what Laura was writing.

The younger mutant shrugged, giving nothing away.

“Just make sure it’s nothing vulgar – otherwise I’ll never hear the end of it.”

An unexpected burst of laugher erupted from Laura over that. She was prone to explosive bouts of profanity, but was restraining herself. Her respect for Ororo had ratcheted up several notices and she didn’t want to offend her.

“No. I’d never do anything like that. I’m just keeping score.” Biting into her bottom lip then, she frowned. _If only for a moment,_ she thought with dismay. _I would like her to have my healing factor._ “I’ll give you a few days before you ask for paperwork out of boredom.” Her statement was based on how she felt having to stay in one place too long.

While Laura wasn’t as prone as her father to just up and run at the surest sign that things were becoming difficult, she enjoyed her time away from people. Being in the wilderness had been a shock at first, especially someone like her who was so used to having other people around.

Save her ‘softness’, she’d possibly been one of the more promising products of the revived Weapons X program. That softness was always punished harshly. Since she hadn’t become a mindless killing machine though, Laura supposed that she was branded a failure. _I think I can handle that._

Ororo scoffed at the assessment. “I would not do that.” Her shoulders drooped. “I have not been… really paying attention for some time now.” Putting the last forkful in her mouth, the white-haired mutant chewed her final bite.

Dark brows furrowed in curiosity and Laura angled her body more towards Ororo.

Feeling that all too familiar green gaze, Ororo squirmed a little. “I have not been tending to my full duties as Headmistress of the school. Katherine and Marie had taken on some of my extra classes. Scott… he took the last two classes that I was dealing with shortly after that.” The pain was audible in her voice. Ororo loved the children at the school, so for her to lose all of her students like that… “He told me that my position will still be waiting for me.”

Letting her head list to the left, Ororo averted her gaze from Laura. It hurt, all of it. Losing Logan, then losing her students… She was leader of the X-Men and the school’s Headmistress in name _only_. Not only that, but she’d lost James…her love. The body heat so close to her belonged to Laura, someone who was part of the man she loved. Not only was Laura… Logan’s daughter, but she was his physical _clone_.

Almost everything about Laura was exactly the same. “I do not know if I will resume those responsibilities.” She felt the shift in the bed as Laura rose from it. Thankfully, the younger mutant remained silent. “Am… Am I being selfish for that?”

Instead of responding, Laura carefully leaned over and hugged Ororo gently. She placed one knee on the bed to maintain her balance.

Laughing softly, Ororo allowed her heart to lessen its burden a little. “That is not an answer, my friend.”

Exercising a light touch, Laura gently rubbed Ororo’s back. “It depends on the sort of answer you want.” Lowering her head, she inhaled quietly. “I’m not the person you should talk to about this, you know? I’m not… very good at discussing emotions or feelings.” Leaning back, but lightly clasping Ororo’s right hand – Laura tried to offer an encouraging smile. “I know, unlike everyone else, that you need time.”

Swallowing hard, she continued. “Whether you choose to return or not is entirely your decision.” A faint frown formed. “I hope no one tries to pressure you to do anything you don’t want to. I won’t. No exp –”

“I know.” The pale haired mutant interrupted. She was touched that Laura had stated such. Everyone else expected her to jump right back into her duties. When had Ororo and Storm stopped being seen as separate? Ororo couldn’t be ‘battle-ready’ at all times. It wasn’t healthy for her, or anyone, to always be ready for combat. As Storm, she was a strong, confident woman. There was no threat that worried her. In fact, it was everyone else who feared _her_. Her powers allowed her to tap into the very earth itself.

The ailing woman in the hospital bed was Ororo… _not_ Storm. She still couldn’t even use her powers to summon a breeze. Laura saw past that though, just as Logan had. Both of them were very well aware of their own flaws, but still attempted to be considerate when it mattered. _So much alike…_ She sighed to herself, her eyelids growing heavy.

Laura glanced away for a long moment before looking at her friend again. She could almost feel the pale blue eyes staring at her, like they were burning a hole through her. Feeling the nape on the back of her neck rise, Laura began to squirm.

The expression on Ororo’s face was more than a little unsettling. The older woman had elevated herself in bed, trying to get closer than was normal.

Almost unconsciously, the Stormrider reached out, resting her right hand on Laura’s cheek. Her eyes were deep pools, threatening to suck the younger woman in. Her pupils were dilating. She bit into her bottom lip, her breathing growing uneven.

Nostrils flaring in alarm, Laura leaned back a little. “Ummm…” The unwanted staring persisted, as if Ororo couldn’t look away. “Look…” Pulling her hands away abruptly and putting space between their bodies, Laura felt a strange sensation in her gut when she was the recipient of a distinctly wounded look. “I’m not exactly sure what’s going on, but I am your friend…right?”

She was afraid of the answer and abruptly aware of how their relative positions in the bed might appear to others.

Ororo nodded, slowly allowing her eyes to focus on the suddenly _fascinating_ material her blanket was composed of – picking at it. Her cheeks had developed a rosy hue, as if in embarrassment.

“I’m your friend who likes men.” The younger woman stated, pointedly. There was no need to dance around this fact at all.

Ororo’s eyes shifted to Laura’s face. The blush was still on full display. Her blue eyes had darkened in color.

Laura noted, curiously, that the longer she looked at Ororo, the more pronounced the flush grew.

“You like men too, remember?” After asking, Laura held her breath.

\--

 **Author’s Note:** Er… Hey! Hope you enjoyed the chapter! I hope you’re looking forward to the next one!

<3 ~ Juliette Lyst.

In editing, I’m still disappointed how many times I almost accidentally typed “Juliette Lust”. Umm… if anyone takes that name, by the way, it’s not me!

Thank you for staying with me. Apologies for the absence. I’m trying to get back into the mode I was in when I started.


End file.
